I tried pickleball at Boldon a month ago and loved it but we need more people to play

Pickleball players at the Boldon Community Association, on New Road, in Boldon Colliery, are appealing for new players to come along and try out the sport.

The community centre hosts pickleball sessions on Wednesday and Friday afternoons - with the group keen to get more people coming along to the Friday session.

Ann Walsh has only recently taken up the sport herself in recent weeks and she has revealed how the group members have made her feel so welcome in a short space of time.

She said: “I’m fairly new to pickleball, I was a squash player but I can’t play that anymore so I went along just to try it and I loved it straight away.

“The group is a really nice set of people, I’ve only been going for about four weeks but I’ve made new friends already.

“No one is judgemental so it doesn’t matter what kind of standard you play at and there is always someone around to help.

“It is as much of a social gathering as it is a way to get active and keep fit.

“You can choose the level that you want to play at so if you wanted to play against better players, then you can, but the group is open to everyone of all abilities.

“It is a really nice atmosphere with some really nice people playing but we would like to get the numbers up, especially on a Friday.”

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The Foundation of Light, Sunderland AFC’s official charity, funds a pickleball group at Boldon Community Association on Wednesday afternoons between 3pm and 4pm.

Then on Fridays, pickleball sessions are held from 1.30pm until 3.30pm.

Members of the public can get involved in a one-off session for £3.50 but you can become a member for just £8 - with a concession price available for £5.

Full details about the Boldon Community Association can be found at: https://boldonca.co.uk/.

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