PLANS led by tennis coach Judy Murray to restore a run-down municipal tennis courts in Maryhill have been delayed due to the pandemic.

Work was due to be getting under way to re-surface three of the four clay courts, which were lying derelict for years and it was hoped the project would be completed for the summer.

However, giving an update on a live chat on Instagram with local tennis coach Julie Gordon, Judy said it is likely to be next year before work is completed.

Glasgow Times:

Judy told of the moment she became aware of the courts’ existence and spotted a “wonderful opportunity” to create something for the local area with her foundation, which aims to create more opportunities for tennis in deprived areas.

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She said: “I think somebody posted a picture on Twitter of the courts covered in weeds and I just though I haven’t been up in Maryhill Park for years.

“I drove up there to have a look and what I saw was the most wonderful opportunity.

“That park is a hidden treasure. It was two derelict bowling greens and there were the four tennis courts and you can see over the whole of the north of Glasgow.

Glasgow Times:

“So I took a picture with me in it. The uptake from it was really huge and I thought there’s a lot of interest to develop this.

“We don’t just build courts. We go in for three years and try to network all the people who might be interested so that it can work in the long term.

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“There’s a great active schools coordinator in Maryhill called Tracy. There’s a fabulous group called Friends of Maryhill Park and there’s some cracking people in that and they want the park to thrive and the tennis courts to be an integral part of that.

“We’ve lobbied Glasgow Life and the local MP to try to get to stage where we can get a hard surface on three or four of the courts and it would have been great to have it ready for this summer but the virus has knocked us back.

“But we are still actively involved and it doesn’t stop us workforce planning. The locals have got together to ensure there is some play this summer.”