East Suffolk Council
Free beach volleyball this summer!
Lowestoft residents are invited to get active this summer by getting involved in a game of volleyball, following the installation of new volleyball posts on the beach.
Funded through Suffolk County Council’s Holiday and Food project, new competition-grade volleyball posts have been installed on Lowestoft’s South Beach, enabling experienced players to play more regularly or for people to try it for the first time.
There are three courts, located on the beach outside Sandy Toes café. Volleyballs are also available, funded through the Lowestoft and northern parishes Community Partnership.
The courts were officially opened on Saturday 26 April, at an open day attended by representatives from East Suffolk Council and LevelUp Beach Volleyball and packed with beach volleyball matches, welcoming players of all abilities.
LevelUp, a Norwich-based volleyball club, will be using the courts as their base for home matches and competitions, and will be training on the beach on Saturday mornings during the summer. At all other times, the courts will be available for free for residents and visitors to use, with the nets permanently in place during the summer. Volleyballs are available to borrow for free from the nearby BoxUp unit. From May, Level Up will also run weekly sessions open to everyone, of all abilities.
Cllr Paul Ashdown, Chair of the Lowestoft and northern parishes Community Partnership said: “Two of the Community Partnership’s key priorities are improving people’s physical and mental health and reducing social isolation and loneliness. It would be wonderful to see Lowestoft become renowned for beach volleyball and these new facilities will enable people to try a new sport and be active, as well as provide an opportunity to meet new people. The posts complement our BoxUp scheme which is an innovative way for people of all ages to keep active and try a new sport for free.”
Cllr George King, East Suffolk councillor for Gunton and St Margarets said: “This project has always been about breaking down barriers to getting active. After seeing how easy it was abroad — just turn up, borrow a ball, and play — I knew we could make that happen here in Lowestoft. Thanks to the incredible efforts of the East Suffolk Communities and Leisure teams, especially Rachel and Louise for bringing this project forward, the Lowestoft and northern parishes Community Partnership, and the fantastic Level Up Beach Volleyball group, we’ve turned a simple idea into something really special. It’s free, it’s accessible, and it’s all about getting people moving and having fun.”
Learn more or book training sessions.
Installed last year, the BoxUp project provides solar-powered storage lockers which contain a mixture of different sports and leisure equipment which can be accessed for free using the BoxUp app.
East Suffolk Council was the first local authority in the UK to install the BoxUp lockers, which are located at Normanston Park, by kind permission of Lowestoft Town Council, and at Lowestoft’s South Beach.
The sports equipment inside the boxes is free to use, and users will need a smartphone and access to the internet to use the BoxUp app.