Blyth padel venue welcomes 3,000 visitors in first month after opening
A Blyth padel venue is celebrating a successful start after welcoming more than 3,000 visitors in its first month.
Padelsphere opened its doors earlier this year with a vision of creating more than just a sports venue.
Four weeks on, co-founders Akshay and Lorna say the response from the local community has exceeded even their expectations.
Akshay Ohari said: "The thing that still gets us every day is the reaction when people walk through the door.
"We've lost count of the number of people telling us it's one of the nicest padel venues they've played at, not just in the North East."
Since opening, more than 3,000 people have visited the venue, with around 70% of players trying padel for the first time.
"People tell us they wanted to try padel but couldn't face travelling to Newcastle or Durham, so they'd been waiting for us to open," said Akshay.
Looking ahead, Padelsphere is keen to expand its community impact further through partnerships with schools, sports clubs and local organisations.
"We're already speaking with several schools because we'd love to help introduce more young people to the sport," Akshay said. "Padel is growing rapidly across the world and it's so accessible and easy to learn.
"The community and grassroots side is a big focus for us moving forward."
The venture has benefited from support from Business Northumberland, including marketing assistance and opportunities to connect with the wider business community.
Councillor Richard Wearmouth, Cabinet Member for Business, Growth and Regeneration at Northumberland County Council, said: "It's fantastic to see the success Padelsphere has achieved in such a short space of time.
"Welcoming more than 3,000 visitors demonstrates both the demand for innovative leisure facilities in Northumberland and the quality of experience the team have created.
"The business is already looking to create new jobs as it grows, which is a great reflection of its success and positive contribution to the local economy. "
The coming months will see the launch of private coaching sessions, ladies-only padel evenings, padel and pilates events, glow in the dark padel, a members' league and more.
Summing up the venue's first month, Akshay added: "A dream we spent two years building has been brought to life by a community that welcomed it faster than we ever imagined. This is only the start."