Half a million-pound investment served up for tennis in Salford

Could a future Wimbledon champion come from Salford? An investment of more than half a million pounds to develop tennis facilities in the city's parks and boost participation in the sport has been given the go-ahead.

The initiative from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) is called Ready to Rally. Some £272,000 for the scheme will come from the LTA and the same amount is being ploughed in from the city council's parks capital budget and deals with developers over funding for community projects - known as Section 106 agreements.

The LTA and Salford council's green space team have agreed to bring 21 tennis courts up to "a good standard". Funding covers core costs of improving court surfaces, nets and electronic access gates along with some fencing costs.

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The matched funding will also enable some courts to be reconfigured and disability access. Charges for use have been set in consultation with the LTA and are comparable with those in Bury and Manchester and in line with the use of facilities at Salford's leisure centre s, the city's greenspace officer Annie Surtees said.

Players will be allowed to book for a maximum of two hours at a cost of £4 per hour. Annual adult membership - for anyone aged 18 and above (limited to a maximum of 10 hours per week) will cost £30.

Twelve-month junior membership, with unlimited use for anyone aged 18 or below, will cost £10. Family membership for a family of up to two adults and three children living at the same address (also limited to 10 hours per week) will cost £55.

Three courts at Albert Park will be re-coloured and two of its courts and two mini courts will get new