LISKEARD’S tennis club is calling on local groundwork and tarmac firms to step up and help make its courts accessible to everyone – including wheelchair users and people with reduced mobility.

Menheniot Tennis Club, which took over the running of Liskeard Tennis Courts in June, is looking for a local business willing to donate time, labour or materials, or offer a discounted rate, to help complete vital access improvements.

The club needs help repairing uneven ground, improving the gradient of the existing access route and laying a suitable tarmac pathway so people with mobility difficulties can reach the courts safely.

Without that helping hand, the club says it still has work to do to deliver its ambition of creating an affordable, inclusive tennis facility for the whole community.

The appeal comes after a promising start, with court usage rising significantly in the four months since the club took over. It has already secured £20,000 from the Samworth Community Opportunity Fund and £400 from Cornwall Council's Community Chest, alongside a significant contribution from the club itself.

That funding is helping improve security, fencing and facilities, but the club is now asking local businesses to help get the access work over the line.

Menheniot Tennis Club is entirely volunteer-led, with nobody paid to deliver its coaching programmes. It has more than 300 members, supported by 14 volunteer coaches. More than 70 children and 40 adults attend weekly coaching sessions, while around 60 pupils at Menheniot Primary School benefit from tennis opportunities each week.

The club now wants to extend its school programme to Liskeard and build on its inclusive offer, which includes Walking Tennis, Cardio Tennis, wheelchair tennis and disability tennis.

A club spokesperson said the project had made fantastic progress in a short space of time, but support from the local business community could make a real difference to what happens next.

Anyone who can help is asked to email: [email protected]