Tennis courts at three parks in a coastal town have been officially unveiled as part of a major £250,000 project.

Lowestoft Town Council’s tennis facilities in Normanston Park, Denes Oval and Kensington Gardens have undergone a programme of major renovations following funding from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and the council.

It has seen a total of 16 courts in the three parks transformed over recent months - with the largest outdoor Pickleball complex in East Anglia now unveiled in Lowestoft.

And at an official launch to celebrate the opening of all the newly refurbished tennis courts, a special event was held at Denes Oval on Saturday.

With the Lowestoft Town Tennis and Pickleball Club running an open day, the official launch event at Denes Oval saw the mayor of Lowestoft, councillor Nasima Begum, become the first person to officially use the new electronic gates.

New Lowestoft MP Jess Asato joined club members, town councillors, open day guests and LTA members in using the upgraded courts.

As the courts have undergone "extensive work to ensure viability for years to come" this has included resurfacing, repainting and the introduction of new smart gate systems.

A town council spokesman said "it was wonderful" to officially celebrate and open the new tennis court facilities.

The spokesman said: "The event saw the culmination of a project to upgrade the tennis facilities at Kensington Gardens, Normanston Park and Denes Oval thanks to a partnership with the LTA - Tennis For Britain, including the largest pickleball facility in East Anglia.

"Thank you to everyone who came along and took part in the Lowestoft Town Tennis and Pickleball Club open day to try out both tennis and pickleball."

'Exciting project'

Thanking numerous people for supporting the project to improve the tennis courts at Denes Oval, Lowestoft Town Tennis and Pickleball Club chair Peter Aldous said: "It's been quite a journey to get to where we are today - for the club members, committee and myself.

"Negotiations for site improvements date back to 2015 after the tennis courts had fallen into disrepair.

"As a club we continued to negotiate improvements with Lowestoft Town Council from 2017, and we were finally invited to present a blueprint for the exciting project you now see before you.

"We can now offer visiting clubs and the people of Lowestoft first class facilities through the six tennis and eight pickleball courts available."

'Extremely popular'

Coinciding with the official opening, the Lowestoft Town Tennis and Pickleball Club's free open day was hailed a success.

A club spokesman said: "The club has had is base at the site since 2010 and we had over 120 people of all age ranges turn up to experience what the club has to offer."

With events including taster sessions of walking tennis, cardio tennis and a demonstration of wheelchair tennis there was also red ball tennis for children eight and under, orange ball tennis for nine-year-olds and under and green ball tennis for youngsters 10 and under, along with free play sessions.

The club spokesman added: "Pickleball was extremely popular with all eight courts full for the whole four hours.

"This sport, the fastest growing in the country, has attracted many people due to the easy nature of the game and the ability to quickly get involved in a game with the smaller court, larger ball and slower pace.

"The Denes Oval site is now host to the largest outdoor Pickleball complex in East Anglia.

"Many people were keen to understand the benefits of joining both clubs and it was positive to see memberships being taken out on the day."

Visit the Lowestoft Town Tennis and Pickleball Club website for further details.