As tennis fever starts to grip Oxford ahead of Wimbledon, TV presenter Helen Skelton tells Jaine Blackman about free tennis weekends designed to get families playing together

It's that time of year again when Britain goes tennis crazy, with children playing a makeshift version of the game on the street, and their parents getting excited about Andy Murray’s prospects at Wimbledon.

When she was a child, former Blue Peter presenter Helen Skelton was one of those tennis-playing kids – although, unlike most, she went on to join a tennis club and her brother played the game at national level.

Skelton, who’s supporting a Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) initiative to get more families playing tennis at Great British Tennis Weekends, says: “My family is incredibly sporty, but tennis was the one sport we did together.

“My mum and dad played a lot of tennis, and we spent hours on the tennis court with them when we were kids. I went to watch Wimbledon as a child, and it does whet your appetite for tennis. When you’re a kid, anything’s possible, and you think that could be you on the court. Why shouldn’t it be?”

For most children, however, once Wimbledon – which starts on Monday – is over, tennis fever dies down and they forget about the game.

But the LTA wants to change that, by encouraging more people to try the sport at a Great British Tennis Weekend.

More than 1,000 park sites and clubs, including plenty in and around Oxford, will offer free opportunities to play the game, with tennis coaching, cardio tennis, mini tennis and disability tennis, this weekend and next and July 19-20. Venues will provide rackets and balls, and the LTA stresses all ages and abilities are welcome.

Skelton, 30, who’s worked at Wimbledon in previous years, interviewing tennis fans on Henman Hill, explains that instead of there being just one tennis peak around Wimbledon, the Great British Tennis Weekends are spread out to maintain interest.

“Tennis is such a fun game that all the family can enjoy together, I love the idea of mums and dads getting out there with their kids at the weekends,” she says.

Although Skelton played tennis at club level when she was a child, she acknowledges that tennis clubs can be intimidating for people who haven’t played before or who don’t play well. You might think you’ve got to be a professional to go to a tennis club, but the Great British Tennis Weekends are designed to debunk that. “It’s a really welcoming environment and you can be a complete novice, there’s something for everyone.

“If you’re a parent, it’s a perfect opportunity to take your kids along and have a go,” she adds. “There will be other families and people there who, like you, are new to it all and that makes for a more relaxed atmosphere. It’s just about getting people to play and if along the way it starts a budding Andy Murray talent off, then brilliant. But it’s about getting people to pick up a racket and join in, not necessarily about finding an elite player.”

All eyes will certainly be on Andy in a few weeks, to see whether he can retain his title as Wimbledon Champion. His mum Judy knows more than most how to encourage children to pick up a racket: she watched him try to hit balloons and sponge balls when he was two years old. Judy, who is the British Fed Cup captain, is supporting the initiative because she loves the idea of more families taking up the sport that’s so important to her own family.

“I’d really encourage everyone to give it a go at a venue near them,” she says.

This year’s Great British Tennis Weekends follow the success of last year’s one-off tennis weekend, which saw more than 7,500 people take to the courts of 39 venues on a single weekend.

For more information about Great British Tennis Weekends, including full details of the clubs in Oxford and Oxfordshire taking part go to greatbritishtennisweekend.com