Hundreds of children attend pro tennis event
MORE than 600 children got to learn from the professionals when they attended this years Aegon Pro-Series tennis event in Barnstaple. North Devon Council helped staff at Tarka Tennis Centre with the co-ordination of the event which saw the return of in
MORE than 600 children got to learn from the professionals when they attended this years' Aegon Pro-Series tennis event in Barnstaple.
North Devon Council helped staff at Tarka Tennis Centre with the co-ordination of the event which saw the return of international women's tennis to the town.
This year 14 primary schools from across North Devon took part in a new Children's Day introduced to encourage them to get active and take up the sport.
The council and chairman, Councillor Roy Lucas, also provided �800 of funding towards a trophy and seating at the centre court for the main tournament.
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Councillor Lucas, who joined in with the fun on Children's Day said: "Children's Day is an excellent opportunity for schools in the area to come and try out the tennis facilities here especially designed for younger players. I am sure that watching the competitors in the event will be an inspiration to our youngsters and who knows maybe even lead to a future tennis star from North Devon."
Chris Gill, Director of Tennis at the Tarka Tennis Centre, said: "The Aegon Pro-Series is sport competition that is good for the local area which has attracted a lot of national and local media coverage. We are grateful to North Devon Council who have helped us with the organisation of the event by bringing it all together.
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"This is the first time that we have held a Children's Day during the event as part of our Schools Programme. During the day between six and seven hundred local children got to watch first class tennis and learn some new skills on our outdoor courts."
The week long Aegon Pro-Series tennis event took place last week at the Tarka Tennis Centre, which is owned by North Devon Council, and run by Parkwood Leisure. The event is an international tennis competition for women, with a prize fund of $50,000.