Tennis players can now have a smashing time all year round in Badenoch and Strathspey following the completion of a £350,000 covered court.
The ambitious Court4All project is the first of its kind in the region and was helped by local funding of around £55,000.
A weekend of celebration is being planned to encourage young and old to enjoy the sport.
One of the key objectives, in addition to helping to sustain the future of Rothiemurchus and Aviemore Tennis Club, was to ensure the facility would be accessible to all, including those with mobility issues, and be of benefit to the wider community.
Work at Inverdruie began in October and was helped by a reasonably mild winter and a warm spell of weather in April when the final surface was laid.
Line-painting was finalised earlier this week.
Club treasurer Yvonne Birnie said she was “delighted” with the end result.
“It is undoubtedly an impressive facility, accessible to all and will greatly enhance the recreational offer in the area in addition to enhancing the club’s own facilities and allowing it to expand its activity programme for both members and others.
“It has already proved its worth in the last few days when the snow fell over the bank holiday weekend and this bodes well for the future.”
She made special mention of project manager Peter Gordon and the contractors Doe Sport (North) Ltd “whose commitment and hard work led to the project being delivered on time”.
She also thanked the club’s own members who have fundraised, planted trees and cleared up the grounds.
The project was also part-financed by the Scottish Government and the European Community (Cairngorms Local Action Group) LEADER 2014-2020 programme with financial support from Tennis Scotland and sportscotland.
As a way of thanking everyone, the club is hosting an open weekend on May 18 and 19 when there will be a grand opening of the covered court on the Saturday at 1pm.
A full programme of events over that weekend has been organised which aims at attracting all ages and families to come along.
It includes coaching from a Level 5 Lawn Tennis Association coach, exhibition games, ‘Come & Try’ sessions for adults and children and a BBQ and tournament.
The full programme is on the club’s website www.ratc.co.uk.
