Weston Tennis Club have voiced their support for International Women's Day (March 8) and is welcoming the ever growing equality within the sport.

The club have many women on their committee, including treasurer Sabine Germane and welfare officer Marion Erison, who are very committed to help ladies membership grow within their club.

“International Women's Day is important to me personally as it reminds me to celebrate the achievements of women in all aspects of life but also a reminder that there is still lots of progress needed for women to get gender equality," said ladies captain Maya Maxwell.

"Sport is a big influence with regards to breaking down boundaries, for example in tennis, professional women get paid the same at the grand slams as men and over the years coverage of women's football has increased.

"There is still a long way to go but sport has a big impact on sexist opinions and often highlights female athletes on a world stage in a positive light."

Maxwell highlighted Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka's battle with mental health as examples to show the strength of women.

Biles withdrew from the women’s floor exercise final, the fifth of six finals she had qualified for, at the Tokyo Olympics, while Osaka chose to leave the French Open after deciding not to speak with the press during the tournament.

"The Olympics was a big moment for Simone Biles and the French Open withdrawal for Naomi Osaka and these events broke down the negative associations with mental health and encouraged people to talk about these issues, and this elite platform enabled these positive conversations to take place," she added.

"These brave women made a stand and hopefully will change sport and the media coverage in the future."

Weston Tennis Club gives women plenty of opportunities, with an over-50s session every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10am for around two hours.

This often includes some doubles social play followed by a hot drink and a chat in their clubhouse.

Weston also have a session on Tuesday evenings open to all women and welcome any new members who are looking to either pick up a racket for the first time or get back into an old hobby.

“It is a lot of fun to get out there and play competitively against other ladies in our county," added Maxwell.

If interested in picking up tennis, contact Weston's Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) coach Jamie Allen on 07790 937448 or visit the club's website at https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/WestonTennisClub.