Tennis players past and present will serve up a special celebration when they reunite for their club’s 30th anniversary.

Kingston Racketeers, which was founded in 1981, gives youngsters the opportunity to play tennis and develop their skills and confidence in a sport which is often seen as inaccessible and elitist.

The club, which provides affordable coaching and is based at Sigi’s Tennis in Canbury Gardens, is hosting a reunion party for players on September 3.

Club founder and manager Sue Bailey, who is a former Lancashire singles and doubles champion, is collecting members’ stories, photographs and messages as part of the celebrations.

The 60-year-old, who received the mayor’s award in 2008 for her services to the community, said her vision for the club came from her own experience of getting into the sport.

She said: “I used to look over the wall of a private members tennis club and wished I could play. One day a man caught me and luckily asked if I wanted to try it. [The sport] is so unwelcoming and elitist.

“Even now the barriers are far from down.”

The club, which now has 250 members, from six to 18, has earned itself a reputation for supporting and nurturing young players and hosting the Kingston tennis tournament.

Mrs Bailey said: “It is successful, I think, because 60 per cent of the children come from backgrounds who would not normally play tennis because of socio-economic reasons.

“We just ask them to come down and give it a go. We embrace them into the club atmosphere. It takes away any restrictions they may have financially.”