Risbygate Sports Club celebrates being named Suffolk LTA’s Club of the Year

Members and officials of Risbygate Sports Club are celebrating being named Suffolk Lawn Tennis Association’s (LTA) Club of the Year.

The Bury St Edmunds-based club impressed judges after a year which has seen them make big strides in reaching further into their community.

Last summer saw them open Suffolk’s first permanent padel tennis courts with the pair of new additions proving popular in attracting more people to pick up a racket.

A community cafe also opened on their site, off Westley Road, in September.

Having taken out one of their four tennis courts to built new padel ones, members helped to then successfully raise £10,000 to add to a matched Sport England grant to re-build it on another unused piece of land.

Carol Smith, a member for the past five years who works in the club’s office, put together the nomination after a suggestion from club partner coach Paul Hope, who runs Titan Tennis.

She said: “This is a big thing for us to have won this, as far as I’m aware we have never been entered for the award before.

“We are a community club, we are not an elite tennis club and we are delighted to have won this.”

The club, which also offers indoor and outdoor bowls, squash, walking netball and bridge, hosted the Suffolk LTA awards earlier this month and incorporated an open day into it.

Phil Eaves, chair of Suffolk LTA, said Risbygate had stood out due to their “significant Investment into facilities to grow tennis in the area” and for “implementing creative ways to raise funds”.

He described it as: “A great facility to have in the heart of the town”.

Risbygate currently has around 600 members but is still open for new applications.