Projects

Lowestoft Tennis & Pickleball Club

Completed: 2026
Location: Lowestoft
Region: East of England
Other local partners: Barclays Community Sports Fund

About the project

Lowestoft Town Tennis and Pickleball Club, based at the Denes Oval in North Lowestoft is a busy local sports site offering a range of sports, including tennis and pickleball. The club has a strong and growing community, but parts of the site had become outdated, especially the tennis pavilion, which was mostly used for storage.

This meant racquet sports users had no proper space to meet, change, or spend time together after playing. As a result, it was harder to grow participation and make the sports more accessible for everyone.

The club is focused on breaking down barriers to sport and creating a welcoming space for all users. Our project here supports that goal and helps the site better serve its growing community.

The project

The project was funded by Barclays Community Sports Fund. Over 3-week, VIY worked with local young people to improve and bring the tennis pavilion back into use.

Work included:

  • Retiling an unused shower area and installing a new toilet and cistern
  • Building new bench seating and a large storage cupboard
  • Improving a small kitchen area for social use
  • Painting and decorating the whole space to make it brighter and more welcoming

These improvements will make a real difference day to day – creating a more comfortable, functional environment where people can get changed, shower, store equipment and spend time together after sport.

The young people

  • 14 young people took part
  • 10 achieved an accreditation in Health & Safety in Places of Work and Introducing Site Carpentry Skills
  • Referrals came from East Coast College, Skills4Life, Lowestoft and Waveney Family Support Team, and independent referrals
  • 14% non-White British | 50% had a physical disability, mental health condition and/or learning difficulty or disability

Chris Wright, Suffolk County Council says: 

“I just wanted to share that I caught up with one of our social workers yesterday who had a 17-year old young person in care take part in the experience with VIY. He absolutely loved it, and it’s inspired him to look at applying for carpentry courses at college and further down the line becoming an apprentice carpenter.

The social worker is over the moon as this particular young person has been ‘stuck’ for some time so he wanted me to pass on our gratitude.”

“Sincere thanks to the VIY team for their fantastic support in updating our cub facilities. From the initial discussions through to completion, the whole process has been excellent. The VIY team’s passion for what they do has really shone through. We are delighted with the work completed. The team transformed what was once a storage area into a welcoming social seating space, giving members and visitors a place to relax and connect after a game. The updated bathroom and new kitchen area, now with running water, has made a huge difference to the appearance and functionality. The VIY mentors were fantastic throughout, and the young people involved were a real credit to the programme. We can’t thank them all enough for making this happen; it will have a big impact on club life, how we use the space and attract new members.” Emily Stebbings, Club Coach and Committee member, Lowestoft Town Tennis and Pickleball Club