City of Peterborough Squash Club raised £40k to restore a glorious show court - big professional tournament planned at Bretton Gate in July

The court was turned into a climbing wall 26 years ago, but it’s been a dream of squash club members to bring the show court back.

And it was re-opened last Saturday (May 22) when club chairman Neil Hoskins played Andy Ruff in a racketball friendly in front of invited guests.

An official opening will be held on July 3 & 4 when 16-player PSA approved tournaments for men and women will be held at the club.

Hoskins has been the driving force behind the fundraising and the renovation. Remarkably the £40k was raised without the need for borrowing.

Hoskins, chairman since 2018, said: “The show court, which was built in the 1970s, was transformed into a climbing wall in 1995, and for decades, we’ve been desperate to get it back.

“I’ve been hell-bent on restoring the old show court since I came in post, but I knew it was an ambitious undertaking as we have little money.

“Then Covid struck and lockdown gave us the time and energy to finally formulate a plan and create a funding strategy. The club committee shared the load and it really paid off. This really has been a remarkable team effort.

“People got involved in our mission because they really wanted to be a part of something.

“Ultimately, when it came to our members, they all saw what we were trying to do as a club and they bought into the project. They wanted to help us improve the club and the facilities.”

Money was raised by selling personal seating plaques, innovative membership deals, generous major donors, corporate sponsors and the traditional raffle!

Anyone interested in becoming a City of Peterborough Squash and Racketball member should visit https://copsr.club/ for more details.