A TENNIS club is hoping to go from strength to strength now its new facilities are complete.

Sedgefield Tennis Club, which now has 100 members, started in 1994 using courts at the former Winterton Hospital, but there were no changing rooms or toilets.

After a spell playing at Wolviston, the club joined Sedgefield Community College to transform its facilities, which consisted of four courts in a state of disrepair.

A £250,000 National Lottery grant was used to develop the courts, and build a five-a-side court, with modern surfacing and floodlights.

Once that was complete, work began on creating a clubhouse extension to the school, which now has specialist sports college status.

The clubhouse, changing rooms and kitchen, opened this summer. Club chairman Ian Taylor said: "For the first time in almost ten years we have a place to live. It's been a long time coming and it's been a bit of a struggle to get the social side going and we always thought a clubhouse would be crucial to that.

Anyone interested in joining can contact Mr Taylor on (01740) 623687.