Clare Balding, Barclays Ambassador, said: “As a Barclays ambassador I have seen first-hand the hugely positive impact their grassroot football programmes have made to local communities. As soon as I saw their work in action, I knew I had to be part of helping launch and roll out their new tennis initiative to get 150,000 more people playing a game that really is for everyone. Whether you’ve never held a racket before, you used to play, or you’d love to get your children playing, Barclays Free Park tennis is for you. I can’t wait to see even more people discover and love tennis like I do.”

Tom Corbett, Barclays Head of Sponsorship, said: “Sport enriches lives and communities like nothing else. It brings people together and has the power to boost confidence and wellbeing and build life skills for participants. We’ve seen this impact through our grassroot football programmes, and I’m delighted we are now bringing our experience to the world of grassroots tennis through our new partnership with the LTA.

“Whether your goal is getting fit, getting closer to your community, or picking up a new sport – it’s going to be fun, free and open to all.”

Scott Lloyd, CEO of LTA, said: “We want tennis to be welcoming, enjoyable and inspiring to everyone. This means taking tennis into as many communities across Britain as possible. Barclays Free Parks Tennis will be like a ‘Park Run’ for tennis, with free equipment, court space and instruction for players of all ages. We’re also excited to be partnering with Barclays on Big Tennis Weekends and Local Tennis Leagues to grow participation even further.”

Barclays Free Park Tennis follows the recent £30million UK Government and LTA Tennis Foundation investment, delivered by the LTA, which is bringing thousands of existing park tennis courts in poor or unplayable condition back to life, with a particular focus on areas of high social deprivation. Through this investment, significant progress has already been made towards delivering half a million more tennis players in parks across Britain.

Alongside Barclays Free Park Tennis, Barclays will also become the lead partner of Barclays Big Tennis Weekends – free tennis open days hosted by park, club or community tennis venues throughout the year – and Barclays Local Tennis Leagues – friendly, competitive mixed singles and doubles leagues for adults taking place at local parks.