A Bury St Edmunds tennis club is celebrating its growing community of players after getting back on its feet with a new committee.
Victory Ground Tennis Players, which is based at Victory Sports Ground in Nowton Road, saw a surge of people interested in playing the sport over the pandemic, but afterwards membership fell to a low of about 30 players.
In the last couple of years, with a new committee on board, the tennis club has enjoyed a large increase in players and is now pushing towards 150 members.
Victory Ground Tennis Players in Bury St Edmunds is celebrating its growing community of players. Pictures: Mecha Morton
With a rise in young players and even some senior members in their 80s, the club, which is believed to have started just after World War Two, is now thriving again.
Jenna Wetton, 41, of Hawstead, joined the club two years ago with her husband and two sons, and last year she got involved with the committee to take over as welfare officer.
“It’s great to see so many new faces joining the more familiar members,” she said.
The tennis club is based at Victory Sports Ground in Nowton Road
“Our committee has been putting in a huge effort to show what a great place it is to play tennis.
“I love the fact that the club is really welcoming and meets lots of needs – whether it be competitive, social or even fitness-related.”
The introduction of new coaching and social sessions, as well as doubles competitions every fortnight, have proved popular at the club.
Some of the committee: Steve Daniel, Karen Williamson, Paul Ensigner, Emma Sharples and Cormac Adlard
Members play competitive tennis in Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire leagues, and a few of the junior members have even been invited to join the County Development Squad.
Mrs Wetton said being part of Victory Ground Tennis Players has given her a great opportunity to play sport with her husband and two sons, aged 11 and 9.
She said: “Both my boys love sport and realistically tennis was the best way I could try and get involved to play with them too – I got fed up with playing football and being in goal.
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“A highlight for me last year was the family tennis tournament where I played doubles with my youngest son, which I loved doing.”