Council chiefs have served-up a boost for a Moray tennis club and helped pave the way for a major revamp of its facilities.
The Elgin group has had its rent-free access to the courts at the town’s Cooper Park extended from five years to 10.
And it is now ready to forge ahead with a £40,000 upgrade of the dilapidated facilities.
The three courts are pock-marked with holes and covered in moss.
Contractors are now expected to move in to start refurbishment work early next year.
And Elgin Lawn Tennis Club committee member, Teresa Tait, said the new surfaces would allow matches to be played in the town throughout the year.
She said: “It’s certainly an exciting time. At the moment we can’t use them so much over the winter because they are so slippy.
“You can go in and play but it’s not really safe.
“Once we’ve done the improvements we will be able to reach out to even more people and start coaching sessions to get even more people playing tennis.”
The club also has ambitions to refurbish its Duff Avenue premises to create a clubroom for the near-200 membership for the first time.
Last night, club president Alan Wilson said the group had already been offered money by the Lawn Tennis Association to help cover the costs.
He said: “Without the extension of rent-free access it wouldn’t have been worth our while to spend the money.
“It seemed ridiculous that we were being asked to spend £2,300 a year in rent while paying for them to be refurbished.”
Councillors agreed that allowing the general public to access the courts should be a condition of the lease, with arrangements still to be finalised between the club and the authority.
Council leader Stewart Cree said: “I am delighted that Moray Council has taken the opportunity to support this local endeavour, which will hopefully ensure the continuation of a long-established sports facility in Elgin.”
