Residents of Cornwall are being offered a chance to try one of the fastest growing sports in the world for free this month.

As part of a partnership with Better, the charitable social enterprise that operates leisure centres across Cornwall and the UK, Pickleball England has announced that they will be offering free pickleball taster sessions on February 29, as part of a nationwide campaign to encourage the public to get active on the extra day of the year. 

A hybrid of tennis, badminton and table tennis, pickleball is a fun, exciting game for people of all ages and abilities. It is played on the same size as a badminton court, using a shorter tennis-style net. Games are in singles or doubles and players use paddles to hit a plastic ball between one another, usually playing up to 11 points. 

Loved by celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio and Kim Kardashian, pickleball is America’s fastest growing sport, with 36.5 million Americans playing during the past year. The sport is growing rapidly this side of the Atlantic too, with Pickleball England reporting a 65 per cent increase in membership in 2023. 

Three Better leisure centres in Cornwall will be offering free taster sessions on February 29. These are Bodmin Tennis Centre from 5pm – 5.45pm and 6pm – 6.45pm; Liskeard Leisure Centre from 2pm to 2.45pm and 3pm to 3.45pm and St Austell Leisure Centre from 12pm to 12.45pm and 1pm to 1.45pm. For Cornwall, we will be offer activities at the follow centres, times included. Equipment is provided.

Commenting on the campaign, Andrew Clark, head of sport at Better said: ‘We are seeing significant interest in Pickleball amongst our members and as a result are offering Pickleball sessions at an increasing number of the leisure centres we operate. Its popularity stems from the fact it is easy to master, fun and sociable to play. 

“We hope this Leap Year initiative will see even more Pickleball converts take to the court.’

Karen Mitchell, chair and co-founding director of Pickleball England added: ‘We’re thrilled to be working with Better Leisure centres for our Leap Year initiative. Pickleball is a fun, accessible sport for any age and ability and the rapid growth we’ve seen in our sport to date is testament to that. 

“We want to encourage as many people as possible to get involved with the sport by coming along to one of the free taster sessions at their local Better leisure centre or nearest club!’ 

For further information and to book a free Pickleball taster session on 29th February visit https://www.better.org.uk/what-we-offer/activities/pickleball. 

• For more information about pickleballor to book a session at a local venue, head to the ‘club locator’ section on the Pickleball England website www.pickleballengland.org.