Plans to knock down an 80-year old Poulton-le-Fylde tennis club are set to get underway in order to build a new ‘super health’ centre leaving members and locals far from happy.
St.Chads Tennis club on Vicarage Road is facing an uncertain future after it was revealed that the Primary Care Trust has plans to build the centre on its site. This would leave long term members with the task of finding somewhere else to participate in the game that some of them love so dearly.
The loss of such a local, family organisation would mean locals as young as 7 years old would need other alternatives for the rest of their tennis days. Older members of the Lancashire town’s sporting establishment may have already played for the last time.
The council have promised to negotiate a solution with the club in terms of possibly relocating the courts somewhere else. This may seem little consolation to older members of the club, with some having spent the majority of their lives at the Vicarage Road club.
Former ladies captain and Treasurer Hazel Cackett, spoke of her utter disappointment at the plans. As anybody who had been at the club for such a long time would do, she stated how it would be the end of an era. She said: “I’ve been a member for over 40 years, and to think it’s all going to finish is very, very sad for me.”
When asked whether or not there was anything left that the club could do in order to stop the plans, Mrs Cackett replied: “No not really, but I certainly feel as though we should have some compensation for all the money we spent on the courts two years ago, to take to another club and then have our say.
Mrs Cackett, who did confirm that things at the club will continue as normal until told otherwise added: “The church has made us feel really unwelcome when we have always had such a good relationship and helped how we can. They want us off the land by the 31st March even if they don’t get the plans for the new health centre. It’s so sad.”
Mrs Cackett continued to say how she and other older members could have played for the last time. From my point of view, what would be the point of me joining Moorland now at 70 years old and paying 140 pounds?”
The club, which would surely blame the church for any such development on the grounds due to a lack of support, would be left with a younger generation of players left looking for a place to play the game also.
Mrs Cackett added: “Over last few years we’ve had such an excellent youth coach and such enjoyment with the youngsters. Who knows, it could mean the end for them at such an early age.”
Michael Watkinson, 22, was also left feeling bitter. He said: “I think it’s a disgrace to be honest. I’ve been a member since I was eight and just feel as though the church has gone against us by agreeing to sell the land. They’ve done nothing to help us.”
If the scheme does take place, members will have few options when it comes to choosing a new place to play their beloved sport. Poulton does have another local club, Moorland Tennis club, which is a grass and shale courts club meaning St. Chads ‘hard’ court players may object to a change in their games. However looking at the map below, other alternatives are limited with the majority of Lancashire’s well known clubs being Preston based and over half an hour away.
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