Festival marks reopening of tennis courts

Courts at Gosforth Park are among 22 that have been renovated across Newcastle

A free tennis festival is taking place to mark the reopening of 22 renovated courts.

Seven parks in Newcastle have had their courts upgraded at a cost of £183,000.

The new courts at Armstrong, Elswick, Exhibition, Gosforth Central, Nuns Moor, and Paddy Freeman’s parks will officially open as part of the three-day event which begins on Saturday.

A concert being held in Leazes Park over the bank holiday means its tennis courts will open in mid-May.

Some courts, like Exhibition Park, incur a fee to use but others will be free

The £183,000 paid for the courts to be resurfaced and repainted, with the installation of new fencing, nets and posts.

Urban Green was handed control of 33 parks by Newcastle City Council in 2019, although it has since emerged it has run run out of funding.

Jim Mawdsley from Newcastle City Council said: “Tennis is a sport which is growing in popularity, but all too often many courts in local parks have been vandalised or are in a serious state of disrepair."

New gate-access technology and booking systems have been introduced.

The tennis courts in Nuns Moor Park and Elswick Park will be free to use, but there will be a booking fee elsewhere.