Holt Sports & Recreation Committee has secured £2,000 in grant funding for a year of walking tennis coaching on Holt tennis courts.
The funding is being provided by the Wiltshire Community Foundation under its Older People’s Programme.
Walking tennis was introduced in Holt in May last year and has so far involved around a dozen players of varying abilities, mostly aged over 65, all keen to continue or return to regular recreational activities.
“Some have been recovering from poor health or injury, or just wanted greater social contact with others through sport,” explained Heather Newman, a member of the committee.
This grant funding will allow the programme to continue and expand through wider promotion via Wiltshire and Swindon sport activities for older adults and Wiltshire Council activities for adults.
Regular weekly sessions (weather dependent) will provide spaces for more people to participate on a regular basis. In line with the grant funding conditions, the programme is focused primarily on people aged 65 and over.
Chair of Holt Sports & Recreation Committee, Ian Gibbons, said, “We are so pleased to have received this funding from the Wiltshire Community Foundation. It recognises the success of our walking tennis programme so far and allows us to grow it into a regular weekly event for older people, not just in Holt but across the wider Wiltshire community.”
Lawn Tennis Association-accredited coach at Holt Sports Courts, Jamie Butt, said, “I am looking forward to using this grant from the Wiltshire Community Foundation to introduce more older people to the joys and benefits of walking tennis. As the coach for the programme, I will ensure I understand the physical and mental needs of all participants, especially those new to walking tennis. The programme will be inclusive, fun, and make a difference to those older people taking part.”
The walking tennis coaching programme will begin in early 2025, subject to weather conditions, and will continue throughout the year.
More information on dates, timings, and how to secure a place will be available on the HSRC website: https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/HoltSportsCourts.
My husband and I are very interested in joining your walking tennis group. We are 88 and 85 and still have our tennis racquets in the attic! I am a Holt born person, now living in Melksham. There is no fear of us running these days so we can’t cheat!
Would love to hear from you.
Patricia Andrews (nee Higgs)