A new pickleball group for women aged 16 and over has launched in Cwmbran, offering weekly social sessions aimed at helping more local women get active, build confidence and make new friends.
The Pickle Belles meet every Thursday evening in the sports hall at Croesyceiliog Comprehensive School. It started with one session from 6pm to 7pm, but now due to its popularity a second session has been added from 5pm to 6pm.
The group is led by Laura Wade and Heidi Nicholson‑Evans, who first discovered Pickleball through Torfaen Council’s ‘If You Go I Go’ fitness and wellbeing programme.
After enjoying the taster sessions, they continued attending weekly classes run by Torfaen Pickleball Club and were later supported by Torfaen Sports Development to complete a Tennis Wales training course at Cardiff Metropolitan University
Friendly environment
The qualification allowed them to help run outdoor sessions and eventually set up their own group to give more women the chance to try the fast‑growing sport in a safe, friendly and inclusive environment.
Since October, the Pickle Belles have built a regular following and ended 2025 with a fun learners’ tournament. A small committee has now been formed to help secure funding and expand the sessions further.
Laura said: “It’s so good to see friendships already forming and hearing the ladies laughing, it really is a feel-good way to get more active. You can play as gently as you like.
“It’s low impact and the atmosphere is relaxed.
‘Welcome everyone’
“We are volunteers and still learning ourselves, so there is nothing to fear by joining us. We welcome everyone.”
Heidi added: “We were lucky enough to have taster sessions in many sports during our time at the ‘If You Go I Go’ programme, and Pickleball was a favourite with so many of us.
“We were hooked and so continued, never missing a session. It quickly became one of the highlights of the week for me, it’s a perfect way to improve mental, physical and social wellbeing. We have so much fun, and it’s surprisingly easy to learn.
“It’s all about getting ladies more active, fitter, having fun and making new friends.”
The pair thanked John Price from Torfaen Pickleball Club for his support.
Join the Pickle Belles pickleball club
Women interested in joining can sign up through the Spond App. Check the comments for a QR code to download the app and get the club’s code.
A second group, ‘If You Dink, I Dink’, has been started in Pontypool Active Living Centre on Wednesday evenings.