Wylam Tennis Club will officially switch on its renovated floodlight system at its Autumn Tournament this Saturday afternoon.

This is thanks to a major grant from the funding body Sport England.

At the conclusion of the tournament, the winners will be presented with trophies by Alan Dovaston, Sport England’s Investment Manager, at which point the flood lamps will be switched on in preparation for a busy winter tennis season.

One year ago it became apparent that the club’s original system, installed in 2003, was starting to fail.

Two of the eighteen lights were much dimmer than the others and some of the club’s older and not so old members noted that they were having some difficulty seeing the ball when playing.

James Mackay, Chairman of Wylam Tennis Club today said: “We are extremely grateful to Sport England for their award as the potential loss of our floodlighting system would have severely restricted our activities.

“The difference made by the new system was immediately noticeable and many players have said that on-court visibility is considerably improved and one or two are relieved to find that there is nothing wrong with their eyesight!”

Thanks to the Sport England grant and a smaller Northumberland Sport and Play Award, the club was able to commission the installation of a full set of replacement metal halide lamps while the club was closed down because of Covid restrictions.

Little used during the good summer weather, they will now be in regular use as the club gets back into the swing with its regular fun and coaching sessions from Monday to Thursday each week and for League matches against visiting clubs.