DARWEN may produce tennis stars of the future after a centre of excellence was set up in the town.

Kidsland Kids Club, which looks after hundreds of children after school, has beaten off competition from clubs across the country for the honour.

Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) coaches will now visit the club for training sessions in a bid to nurture future stars. In addition, £160 worth of tennis equipment has been donated to the club.

Just 77 after-school clubs in the country have been given Top Tennis' status. A panel made up of officials from 4Children, an organisation which aims to transform opportunities for children and their families, and the LTA made the decision.

The scheme, sponsored by the Nestle Trust, aims to target youngsters who do not normally have the chance to play tennis.

It is also hoped the project will help train staff at the club so they can coach youngsters on tennis skills for years to come.

The Kidsland Kids Club, which employs 25, is based at five primary schools in the area and takes children from 14 schools until their parents can pick them up.

Owner Yvonne Harkness said: "It is brilliant news. We have run a tennis session before and the kids loved it. They set it up in a school hall for us. We are trying to promote a healthy lifestyle with fun and this fits in with that.

"There are no facilities for young people to play tennis in the area and this will allow them to give it a go.

"At the start it is just teaching them the basics, such as how to hold the racket and co-ordination, but it may give someone who has a talent for the sport a chance they otherwise would not have had."

The scheme is supported by former British tennis star Jeremy Bates, now the GB Davis Cup captain and manager of men's training at the LTA. He said: "Nestl Kids' Clubs Tennis Scheme enables youngsters all over the country to have access to equipment and activities they might not normally have.

"My congratulations to the Kidsland Kids Club for being chosen as one of just 77 top clubs in Britain.

"This top club scheme provides added incentive to encourage the playworkers as well as the youngsters, in a fun and helpful way and I believe that this is really important for the development of junior tennis."