Go-ahead Gotherington Tennis Club are serving up a treat for potential tennis players at the beginning of next month.

That’s because the club, which have been going for around 50 years, are hosting their first ever Big Tennis Weekend.

It takes place on Sunday 3^rd July – the middle weekend of this year’s Wimbledon – with the aim being for everyone to have a fun experience, re-engage with the great sport of tennis and hopefully to attract a few more players to the club along the way.

The club, which can be found tucked away in the bottom left-hand corner of Freemans Field in the heart of the village, currently has some 35 seniors and around 15 juniors and club secretary Ian Donnelly said: “Ideally we’d like maybe another 10 members, that would be fantastic.”

The Big Tennis Weekend is an LTA-sponsored event and Donnelly, who is also the club’s child welfare officer, said: “We deliberately picked the middle Sunday of Wimbledon because we’re hoping that everyone will really be tuned into tennis.

“We’re a village club but like so many of the clubs in Gotherington we punch above our weight. We’ve only got two hard courts but it’s a beautiful setting to play tennis.”

And the amount of time the courts are in use during the summer months – they are owned by the parish council – would suggest that there is plenty of interest in a sport that has grown in popularity in this country following the exploits of Andy Murray and more recently Emma Raducanu.

It’s not been all plain sailing though.

“We’re like any club coming out of Covid,” said Donnelly. “We’ve managed to maintain most of our members but it has been difficult.

“Every club needs new blood, fresh faces. It’s the whole basis of village life, how you get to know people. It’s so important that there are clubs like ours for people to join.

“We’re a very social club, we play tennis for fun although we do have a competitive side too, running a men’s team and a ladies’ team in the Gloucestershire Summer League.”

They also have a coach – Liam Gough – who has had a big impact on the club over the years.

“I can’t speak highly enough of him, he’s so good with the kids, so patient,” said Donnelly. “I’ve known him since he was 12, he’s a great guy.”

And Gough will soon be coaching in improved surroundings at Gotherington.

“We are totally renovating the courts at the end of the season,” said Donnelly. “We will still have the same hard court surface but obviously much-improved, we’ll also have new fencing and new nets.

"We’re also looking at the possibility of installing another entry point at the bottom of the courts by the kissing gate to facilitate disable access.”

The work will start in September and is expected to take four to six weeks with the majority of the funding coming from Tewkesbury Borough Council.

“We’re very grateful for their support,” said Donnelly, who also stressed what a good relationship the club have with the parish council.

The club also have a very good relationship with everyone in the village, too, and anyone who wants to know more should get themselves down to the tennis courts on 3^rd July, with all the fun starting at 9am with the children’s sessions.

Big Tennis Weekend itinerary:
9am – Children’s Sessions – fun and games on the court with club coach Liam Gough and his helpers.
10am – Family Sessions – time for mum and dad to join in.
11am – Cardio Tennis – it’s loud, it’s fun, it’s tennis with a twist.
12pm – Rusty Rackets Session – if you have played in the past and want to give it another go or even if you haven’t this is the session for you.
12.30pm onwards – Barbecue – with traditional Wimbledon strawberries and cream.
2pm onwards – Mini Tennis Tournament – men’s, ladies’ or mixed doubles.