Former Wimbledon tennis player Julie Hobbs coached children from two local primary schools under the Brighton i360.
Ms Hobbs laid on the coaching session at the seafront attraction as the annual Wimbledon tennis championships got under way. She played there nine times.
Since retiring as a professional player, Ms Hobbs has become head coach at the Pavilion and Avenue Tennis Club in Hove.
She put youngsters from Balfour and Hertford primary schools through their paces by the i360 as part of a programme organised by the game’s governing body, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), to encourage greater take up of the sport.
She was joined by the deputy mayor of Brighton and Hove, Alan Robins, who also chairs the council’s Tourism, Development and Culture Committee.
After the seafront taster session, Ms Hobbs said: “I’ve played on Centre Court at Wimbledon and some of the most famous tennis venues in the world but nowhere quite as unique as this.
“To see these children get their first experience of tennis in such an incredible setting was great and hopefully they will want to try it again.”
Councillor Robins said: “Schemes like this are a great addition to the range of activities on offer in the city.
“We want to encourage more children to lead healthy and active lives and trying out different sports is an important part of this.”
The LTA’s message was that tennis is for fun, not just for Wimbledon. The LTA programme for primary school children is focused on fun, getting children active and helping them make new friends.
Courses take place in and around Brighton and Hove all year round and the LTA is hoping to sign up its 100,000th “Tennis for Kids” participant by the end of this year.
To find out more about Tennis for Kids and to find a course, click here.
