The aim of the tennis coaching was not only to help the young people with their GCSE practical studies but to also inspire them to take up tennis as a sport for life. Linkside provided their facilities for free to the Redbridge students in the hope that the young people would discover the joy of tennis and join the club.
The Thames Gateway Foundation charity works with schools and sports clubs to provide sporting and educational opportunities to young people. To help inspire and motivate the participants, high performance level coaches are employed to deliver the coaching sessions and share their experiences and enthusiasm for sport.
Essex Tennis aims to support tennis clubs and places to play across Essex and to help grow the game in the County. As part of this remit they make grants available to clubs to enable them to set up outreach programmes in the local community.
Ophelia Soares, Thames Gateway Foundation, said: "Linkside Tennis Club, Wanstead High School and the Thames Gateway Foundation charity are grateful to the financial support from Essex Tennis which has enabled us to provide young people in Redbridge with high quality free tennis coaching. The students have enjoyed their time at Linkside and improved their skills considerably. I hope they will continue to play tennis and join clubs such as Linkside which do so much to inspire young people to take up sport."
Lynn O'Brien, Essex Tennis said: “Essex Tennis are delighted to have supported this project at Linkside Tennis club. Offering local students the opportunity to experience tennis in a local club environment with experienced coaches is an excellent use of the Counties Advantage Essex Grant Fund. We would encourage and support other clubs in the County to look at the possibility of creating these types of community outreach projects”
For Further Information and photos contact:
Ophelia Soares, Thames Gateway Foundation on 07718 964436 or email: ophelia.tgf@gmail.com. Website: www.tgfoundation.org