ILMINSTER Town Council opened the newly refurbished public tennis courts at the recreation ground on Wednesday afternoon. 

A ceremony took place on July 31, and representatives of the Lawn Tennis Association, who helped fund the refurbishment and the town mayor officially opened the courts at 2pm.

After the speeches, the local Co-op store kindly donated some strawberries and cream to enjoy after the ceremony.

Town Mayor Councillor Brian Hamilton and his wife cut the ribbon to mark the opening of the courts, before residents of Ilminster had a game of tennis on the new courts.

The courts are secured using a key system, residents and the courts are free to use but you have to book via the Clubspark website or app, which will then produce a code that opens the door.

The courts closed in July last year and a full restoration programme took place including resurfacing the courts and adding the key system.

Town Mayor Brian Hamilton said: "It's fantastic to see these courts open, it's been a lot of preparation behind the scenes to get to this point. The app is also great as we can see how people are using the courts. The surface has a 10-year lifespan, and we can use the data to show that the courts are popular when it comes to refurbishing the courts next time."

A spokesman for the Lawn Tennis Association said: "The conversation started when Brian (town mayor) and I were having a conversation when we were neighbors, I was working on a new grant to renovate tennis courts across the UK, the courts were in a poor state. So I set about working with Ilminster Town Council."

The renovations are part of a project launched by the UK Government and LTA Tennis Foundation.

The investment sum of £170,000 (consisting of £154,000 from the UK Government and LTA Tennis Foundation and £16,000 from Somerset Council) will also go towards refurbishing tennis courts in Yeovil.

The new and improved courts allow locals to remain active, delivering significant physical and mental health and well-being benefits.