A TENNIS club in York has been awarded £41,000 for a new clubhouse and community space.

Heworth Tennis Club were given the grant by Sport England Inspired Facilities to build the new facility at East Parade, which will include an enclosed play space and hitting wall, to allow children and younger players to visit the club and try out their skills.

Helen Walker, club chair, said: "We are thrilled and very excited.

"Our current clubhouse is very old and dilapidated, so this will be a fantastic addition for both the club and Heworth. We would not have been able to win this grant without the strong support of The City of York Council who have made a matching contribution from Section 106 funds, so thank you to both Sport England and The City of York Council, and all the people who supported our bid."

The club was among more than 800 around the country which submitted an application to the fund, with only 20 per cent actually successful, and building is expected to start later this year.

Trish Leach from the club spent months completing the application and said: "We worked very hard to make sure the local community will be able to use this new space too, and have designed it carefully with this in mind."

Helen said the club has about 160 members and is still growing, by targeting players of all ages and abilities, and encouraged anyone with an interest in tennis to get in touch.

She said: "We have a dedicated Level 3 coach, Jason May and he provides a wide range of different activities, almost every day of the week. Fun fitness activities, such as Cardio tennis, are proving to be a big draw and we hope our new clubhouse will attract even more players and new local groups too."

To find out more, go to heworthtennisclub.co.uk