TENNIS COURTS
One of the top three priorities to come out of our 2012 questionnaire was to refurbish the tennis courts - the other two were a toilet and cafe in the park. Once Parkview Cafe had opened, getting the tennis court area fit for purpose was our number one project.
1. History
We have found out a few things about the history of the tennis courts: there used to be some grass courts to the left of the current hard courts. People used to pay to play on the courts. There was a small hut near the courts where you could pay the park-keeper. As well as 5 hard tennis courts, there are also 2 basketball courts. Unfortunately the courts weren't maintained for at least 20 years, which is why they got into such a sorry state.
Do you know any more about the history of the courts? Please let us know.
2. Where We Were...
Anyone who visited West Harrow Park in the past 20 or so years would have noticed the terrible state of repair that the tennis court area was in. It was impossible to play on them - there were plants growing on the surface, causing further damage, and the fencing around the site was broken in many places.
3. What We Did
We used the results of our questionnaire from 2012 to formulate a plan for improving the tennis court area, and approached the council with it. They managed to find most of the money from within the council, and applied to the Marathon Trust for a grant of £40,000. We met with Council officers and a representative of the Marathon Trust at the park to show them the condition of the courts. We were very fortunate that they agreed to the grant, enabling the project to go ahead. We also fundraised so we could make our own contribution to the pot of £1000.
4. The Courts Now
Although there is still some snagging to be done, the new courts were finished in summer of 2018 are were an instant success. Two MUGA courts for Basketball/Football/Netball and three tennis courts have been in almost constant use ever since. The park is busier than ever, with users encouraged to come into a space that is less deserted. It remains to be seen if this will continue into the winter months, and of course we hope that floodlighting will be added in due course to enable this to happen, but for now we are so happy to finally have the fantastic much longed for facilities in place.