Crew members of the Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service were given a crash course in the rapidly growing sport of pickleball during the Skechers English OPEN at the Telford International Centre.

Firefighters based at the Telford Central Fire Station had, with one exception, their first taste of the game during a coaching session on the first morning of the week-long event.

The brigade is aiming to install a pickleball court during renovations to their station as a means of not only passing the time between calls but also maintaining their fitness.

It comes as part of pickleball’s rise in the United Kingdom, where there are now over 30,000 active players and almost 700 places to play, which is set to be added to.

Watch manager Aaron Holloway said: “We’re looking to take on another sport, obviously for the crew’s physical fitness, but also to try and engage more with the community.

“Paul Gouge, my colleague, is a service driving instructor and he directed us towards pickleball as he’s an avid player.

“We noticed it was a growing sport and anything team-based, generally, we’re interested in as a community service because it’s a critical part of our job.

“It was our first taster of it and we were hooked and we’ll be pushing it towards our colleagues.”

On the benefits that will come with having a new activity at the fire station, Holloway added: “There is a fitness suite available for members who need to improve their fitness or return after injury.

“It’s just something a bit more light-hearted, team-based, that we can do together, rather than just be in a small space on a treadmill.”

As mentioned, one crew member already hooked on the sport was 53-year-old firefighter Gouge, who took part in singles and doubles events at the English Open.

The series of tournaments, which took place from August 8-14 was the largest pickleball event to occur outside of the sport’s heartland, the United States, with almost 2,000 players of various abilities and age groups from 42 countries taking part.

Gouge said: “I’ve been involved [with pickleball] for about 12 months now.

“There’s a local centre in Telford called Stafford Park, where I play twice a week.

“I got into the sport just by researching it.

“I’d heard the name pickleball without knowing much about it, so a bit of Google, as we all do and all of a sudden, here I am.

“I’d like to be right up there, to be honest, although whether the body is going to give me that at my age I’m not quite sure, but we’ll wait and see.”

Pickleball England has announced a record number of players competing at this year’s English OPEN from the 8th-14th August at the Telford International Centre in the largest pickleball event taking place outside of the USA EVER – visit pickleballengland.org