As part of this year’s GiveItYourMax programme, the Tennis Foundation identified 3 pilot schools to support to increase their tennis offer, both within school time and outside. In the North, Newsome High School & Sports College in Huddersfield was selected. Working in partnership with Linda Stacey, SPIN Manager and School Games Organiser at Newsome High, the Tennis Foundation helped to draw up an action plan with the aim of increasing the value of the sport within the school.
Throughout this academic year, tennis within the school has seen a dramatic increase, especially across the spectrum of SEN (Special Education Needs) young people on site. A school-club link has now been forged with Huddersfield’s Longley Tennis Club and wheelchair tennis has also been a fantastic success of the partnership, with four junior wheelchair players now accessing recreational tennis every week.
To celebrate the end of the year the team organised an event with the support of Beyond the Baseline and local mentor, professional tennis player Jade Windley. Over 30 young players attended the event, taking part in a number of fun tennis activities throughout the day. The atmosphere was especially celebratory coming on the back of GB’s success at #Wimbledon2016.
Of the event, Matt Elkington, Disability Development Manager for the North & Midland said: “This event is a culmination of some excellent work throughout the last 12 months led by the staff at Newsome with the support of Longley Tennis Club. It is a great example of how a school-to-club link programme can work if the need is there. This work is one of many highlights from within our West Yorkshire Tennis Network managed through West Yorkshire Sport, who are one of the fastest growing networks and currently supporting activity at 13 different sites. The Tennis Foundation and the LTA are keen to see the Give It Your Max programme continue to deliver with a new project coming online in Middlesbrough at the beginning of the next school year.”
For more information about disability tennis, please visit the Tennis Foundation’s website here