BRITAIN'S next Tim Henman could hail from Haslingden if the town's lottery bid for a tennis centre is successful.

Hopes are high that lottery chiefs will think the £1.4 million scheme for Haslingden Leisure Centre is smashing and give it the backing it needs.

The venture is a joint initiative by Rossendale Council and Parkwood Tennis Club supported by the Action for Haslingden Partnership and Lawn Tennis Association.

Catherine Long, who is co-ordinating the project for Parkwood Tennis Club, said: "A tremendous amount of work has gone into this and we are grateful for all the support we have received.

"We are extremely positive that we will get the thumbs up from Sport England, the body which oversees the lottery funding.

"We expect to have a decision by late autumn but we don't intend to sit around waiting. We will be busy drawing up a programme of annual events and fostering closer relationships with community groups, schools and local firms."

If funding is agreed, tennis lovers will be able to enjoy the game on eight all-weather floodlit courts. There will also be a new building with a further two indoor courts, changing rooms and a clubhouse.

It would provide a home for Parkwood Tennis Club which currently uses inadequate facilities in Mount Street, Rawtenstall.

The club is currently private, but if the centre goes ahead it will be accessible to the whole community including local schools and disabled groups with professional coaching available.

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