THE MAYOR of Wokingham Borough had the privilege of helping the Prime Minister open two newly refurbished squash courts in Sonning on Friday.
Cllr John Kaiser watched as Theresa May cut the ribbon at the Berkshire County Sports Club, surrounded by young club members.
Then, after the Prime Minister inspected the squash courts at the Sonning Lane venue, she joined more club members to hand over the new Prime Minister’s Cup, which the club will present to a member at its June AGM.
Cllr Kaiser made a speech reiterating the borough council’s commitment to sports and leisure and emphasising that the club’s squash courts are part of its investment in sports and leisure across the whole borough.
He said: “It gives me great pleasure to be here today to open yet another sports facility in the borough and I thank the Prime Minister who, of course, is our local MP, for finding time in her very busy schedule to take part in the opening of this centre.
“It is important we recognise the vital role the voluntary sector plays in sport, leisure and recreation across our borough.
“The Berkshire County Sports Club in Sonning is run entirely by volunteers and has provided a wide range of high-quality sports activities for more than 60 years.
“I hope this investment here in the squash courts demonstrates our continued support for the club and its members, which has now reached more than 1,000.”
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He added: “These squash courts form an important part in the borough-wide investment programme for sport and leisure facilities across the whole borough. We’re investing millions of pounds in improving our leisure offer to residents at a time when other local authorities around the country are looking to scale back leisure provision and close centres.
“We believe that facilities such as these are important not only for the physical and mental wellbeing of residents, which also enriches people’s lives through the social aspects that come with memberships of clubs such as these.”
The courts will be available for members of the public to use, from 7am until 10pm, seven days a week and can be booked via the club’s website
Speaking to The Wokingham Paper afterwards, the club’s vice president Kevin Mist said: “Our courts are a hidden gem, not many people know they are there.
“You do have to be a member to use them, it’s £51 a year – £1 a week.”
He added: “We have around 1,000 members for all kinds of sports including pool, rugby, hockey, tennis, squash, snooker and cricket.
“There are three types of rugby: league, union and touch rugby.”
