Bangor Tennis Club sits in a beautiful spot in North Wales, close to the famous Menai Straits which separates Anglesey from the Welsh mainland.

The club prides itself in offering “friendship, fitness and fun through tennis” to anyone who wants to play the sport. And it has shown that this strapline is not just an empty claim, doing its part to make Ukrainian refugees feel welcome.

In 2022, the club partnered with a local organisation called Pobl i Bobl /Cefnogi Ffoaduriaid.  Translated Pobl i Bobl means People to People – and the organisation supports refugees in and around Bangor.

The club hosted a fantastic Tennis Fun Charity Day with Danny Sapsford and James Auckland last May. The event raised more than £2000. Half of that amount went towards the cost of building a new environmentally friendly clubhouse. The other half was used to provide free coaching sessions to Ukranian refugees. 15 refugees took part and benefited from tennis lessons at the club.

The initiative was recognised at the Tennis Wales Awards where Bangor Tennis Club won the ‘Club of the Year’ Award in a glittering ceremony at the iconic Cardiff Arms Park.

Siân Gwenllian MS for Arfon also visited the club to hear about the scheme, and the redevelopment of Bangor’s facilities.

Speaking about the scheme Susan Beesley said: “Playing tennis at Bangor Tennis Club has allowed our Ukranian friends to integrate better into the community.

“There’s not even necessarily a need to speak the same language as people are able to communicate through sport, enabling them to feel more connected and experience a greater degree of normality here in Bangor.

“Our coaches at Martyn Lewis Tennis have worked with them at our Club over a number of months and we hope to be able to offer some more opportunities in the future.”