DSActive, is delighted to announce that, in partnership with the Tennis Foundation, it will be running the first ever National Tennis Festival for people with Down's syndrome. This exciting event will be held at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton on Saturday 1st November from 1-4pm.
Experienced tennis coaches will be running coaching drills and games and these will be followed by a mini tennis competition with alternative activities available for younger participants or less experienced tennis players. The day is a chance to celebrate the success of the partnership between DSActive and the Tennis Foundation, who now run sixteen tennis sessions across the country, with almost 150 people with Down’s syndrome taking part in regular activity.
Scott Woods, Manager of DSActive said, “We are very excited about this event and hope everyone has a fantastic day. Children and Adults with Down’s syndrome are less likely to take part in sports than the general population. We want to change people’s attitudes and to give people with Down’s syndrome more opportunities to get involved in sport and so lead a healthier life.
“As well as this day being fun for everyone, we believe that bringing different groups together from across the country will encourage much greater participation and will inspire more tennis clubs to get involved in our DSActive programme.”
Jill Osleger, Disability Development Manager of Tennis Foundation, added, “We very much look forward to this event with DSActive to promote tennis as an inclusive sport which people with Down’s syndrome can participation in. Tennis is fun, rewarding and healthy so we really want people to come and try it for themselves!”
Research has shown that only 7.4% of adolescents with DS meet the recommended levels of physical activity. There is also more of a problem with obesity which can lead to further health issues, so it is vital for as many children and adults with Down’s syndrome to undertake a sports activity.
DSActive is the Down’s Syndrome Association’s programme which encourages more children and adults to take part in sport and specifically football and tennis. It is currently funded by Sport England and has 30 football teams across the country as well as 16 tennis sessions.
The Tennis Foundation’s Disability Tennis Networks provide disabled people with as many opportunities as possible to try tennis across Great Britain, offering both impairment-specific and integrated tennis sessions.
Find out more about learning disability tennis here.
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