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Bidston Sports and Activity Centre has been praised as one of the country's leading venues for fostering young tennis talent, as one of its players is now representing Britain.
The venue has been named as one of 19 venues in the Lawn Tennis Association's (LTA) 10U Performance Network, recognising it as one of the country's top environments for nurturing young players, as reported by Birkenhead News.
Ten-year-old Eleanor Charters, from Oxton, has trained at Bidston since 2022 and now attends coaching sessions up to five times a week. Her development has seen her become one of the UK's top players in her age group, earning regular selection for Great Britain, including a recent international match against France.
The Wirral has also produced some older famous tennis players, who were either born or trained in the area. Lottie Dodd, born in 1871 in Bebington, joined the Rock Ferry Tennis Club at age 11. She won the women's title at Wimbledon five times! Stockport native Fred Perry spent his childhood in Wallasey and won three Wimbledon titles back to back. He was even the last British man to win the title before Andy Murray in his famous 2012 win, decades before in 1936.
Tennis at Bidston is delivered through a partnership between Wirral Council, Cheshire Tennis and Cross Sports Futures, which manages the centre. The council owns the centre.
Councillor Jenny Johnson, chair of Wirral Council's Tourism, Communities, Culture and Leisure Committee, said in a statement: "The top-quality facilities at Bidston Sports and Activity Centre allow the Wirral tennis community to train and thrive throughout the year, while giving young players access to excellent coaching and development opportunities.
She continued, "The 10U Performance Network status recognises the success of the partnership between Wirral Council and its partners. It shows the borough has the potential to develop the tennis stars of the future, with one of our young players already representing Great Britain."
Residents inspired by this year's Wimbledon Championships are being encouraged to get involved in the sport through free weekly tennis sessions.
Run by We Do Tennis in partnership with Active Wirral, the sessions take place every Saturday at 10 am in Harrison Park, Wallasey, and Birkenhead Park. They are open to all ages and abilities, with no booking required.
