This week we were successful in our application to New Zealand Community Trust (NZCT) for $120,000 for our court lighting project.

Thanks ever so much NZCT for the funding. We are very appreciative you saw the merit in our funding application and understand the high importance of sport to our community.

The total project cost is $125,000. We are very nearly at our target, thanks to NZCT, and are moving forward with the construction phase confident that we will shortly have the remaining $5000.

ŌSC president Hannah Grimmett says the successful grant application is the result of 13 months’ hard work by a club sub-committee.

It included:

• working with lighting experts to design quality light coverage on court with little light impact outside Haruātai Park boundaries
• working to get resource consent for the pylons and lighting from Kapiti Coast District Council
• seeking funding for the project.

“We have an amazing group of dedicated tennis supporters at the club putting in hard yards to ensure the success of all sorts of quality tennis opportunities for our rangatahi, tamariki and adults. The lighting will help them widen the tennis options they can provide,” Hannah says.

“It is another step forward in developing and boosting tennis opportunities not just for club members but also the wider community.”

The lighting will also enable the combined tennis, football and squash club to grow training and participation opportunities for its football players.

It has two futsal courts marked out on the tennis courts, which can also double as a wet weather training surface when the football fields are too wet for effective football skills training.

Club tennis captain Gary Quigan said the lighting was designed to Tennis New Zealand standards for competitive tennis and would allow the club to hold evening events not possible anywhere else in the Kāpiti district.

“We are looking forward to planning evening events that until now have been only a pipe dream,” he said.