WELLINGTON locals can now play ‘pickleball’ at a new Wellington School venue as a local group expands its reach.

Keen players of the popular racket sport can now play at Wellington School’s Princess Royal Sports Hall facilities with new sessions every Sunday at 3.30pm from April 6.

Founded in 2023, the 100-member-strong Taunton Pickleball group already operates out of a number of sports facilities in Wellington and Taunton, offering sessions for a variety of levels.

At Wellington School, players will be able to take part in sessions for beginners, with level one instructors in attendance, as well as sessions for intermediate and competitive players, which will be available to book online.

Established in the US in the 1970s, pickleball is a racket sport, played on a badminton sized court, with a ‘paddle’ and a plastic ball. It is a mixture of tennis, badminton and ping pong, and is taking the world by storm.

Taunton Pickleball holds regular taster sessions at Blackbrook Sports Centre Taunton which have proved popular, which will now also be offered at the Wellington School for players local to the town.

Pickleball sessions are also available at Wellington Sports Centre from 10am on Thursdays, Wellsprings Sports Centre, Taunton, on Tuesdays and Fridays from 6pm, and Blackbrook Sports Centre, also in Taunton, on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 1pm and Sundays from 10am.

In 2024, Taunton Pickleball hosted their inaugural Taunton Pickleball Festival which is set to return for 2025. Outside of the courts, the group host regular social events.

This game is suitable for all ages and all fitness levels and costs £5.25 per hour or £20 for a taster session.

For more information, visit www.tauntonpickleball.co.uk or send enquiries to [email protected]