The tennis courts at Pennington Hall Park in Leigh have been officially reopened after a £30,000 investment.

The official launch, which was attended by local MP Jo Platt, Leigh South Councillor Kevin Anderson, Councillor Chris Ready – portfolio holder for communities and neighbourhoods – and Madam Mayor, Debbie Parkinson.

Jo Platt, MP for Leigh and Atherton, said: “I was excited to attend the launch of the new tennis courts at Pennington Hall Park.

“Thanks to funding from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and the dedication of Wigan Council, these courts are now open to the community. Wigan Council will also be hosting free tennis sessions for adults and children, led by their Be-Well team.

“During the launch event, I enjoyed a fantastic doubles match. It was Leigh v’s Wigan, with Councillor Kevin Anderson and myself taking on Chris Ready and Madam Mayor, Debbie Parkinson. We smashed it, but in the end, it was “next point wins,” and myself and Councillor Anderson just came up just short.”

Managed by the LTA and Wigan Council, the Pennington Hall Park tennis courts will be available for anyone to book for a small charge. It’s £4 per hour and £3 per hour for under 16’s and over 65’s.

Adults (aged 16 and over) can also play for free each Thursday (1pm-2pm), as part of Wigan Council’s Be Well Social Tennis sessions. There will also be free fortnightly Saturday morning sessions for adults and children aged 8 and over.

If you’d like to play on the courts, bookings can be made via the LTA’s official ClubSpark platform. Further details of free sessions can also be found on the Be Well website.