NHS offers free tennis lessons to tackle mental illness

Free tennis sessions are being offered by the NHS in Shropshire to encourage those with severe mental illness to be more physically active.

Midlands Partnership NHS Trust organised the sessions in partnership with local charity Tennis Shropshire.

The sessions started at Shrewsbury Tennis Club this week and will continue for the next 12 weeks.

Registration is available for eligible patients registered with a GP in Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin.

Claire Parrish, service manager at the Midlands Partnership NHS Trust, said the service was particularly important for patients taking anti-psychotic medication or those with conditions such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, who are at higher risk for cardiovascular diseases.

"We know that activity is beneficial to both our physical and mental health," she said.

"We want to support service users to engage in sports, to help reduce obesity and the likelihood of diabetes and increase their mortality rate so they live a longer life."

Sessions will run for an hour every week, with all equipment provided and coaches on hand to support any who attend.

Craig Sherratt, from Inspire2Coach, said the aim was to get patients active and enjoying tennis.

"We want to make tennis a sport for everyone and this is a great way to introduce people to tennis, that traditionally would never think it's their sport," he said.

"I'd encourage anyone who meets the qualifying criteria to come along and give it a go," he added.

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