During this year’s Championships, the world once again witnessed the power of sport to both change people’s lives and to bring people together. Few had heard of Cori ‘Coco’ Gauff back in June but the 15-year old’s spectacular Wimbledon run captivated audiences around the globe, even attracting support from former First Lady Michelle Obama.
Meanwhile Coco’s mixed doubles partner, British No.4 Jay Clarke, who used to have to walk miles to practice as his parents didn’t own a car, said he hoped his story would inspire others from working class and minority backgrounds to take up the sport.
The Wimbledon Foundation’s Get Set, Get Active Fund, launched in 2016, aims to help local people of all ages and abilities to take part in physical or sports activities. Grants are awarded to local projects designed to not only improve people’s physical wellbeing but also to aid their mental wellbeing by learning a new skill, meeting new people and in turn making communities stronger.
Grants totalling more than £50,000 have recently been awarded to 26 local groups and clubs active in the boroughs of Merton and Wandsworth covering a varied range of pursuits from skateboarding sessions for young people to golf sessions for the over-60s.
Helen Parker, Head of the Wimbledon Foundation said, “Our Get Set, Get Active Fund is about making sure people of all ages and backgrounds in our community have the opportunity to take part in some form of physical activity. There is fantastic work being done by local groups and clubs and we hope people will be inspired to try something new and reap the benefits exercise can bring.”
The Wimbledon Foundation also encouraged applications from organisations tackling social problems and helping people facing disadvantages to improve their quality of life. Universal Language are using their grant to run football sessions for newly arrived young immigrants and refugees while Wimbledon Racquets & Fitness Club are purchasing badminton rackets and adapted equipment to enable disabled people to take part in racket sports.
The Merton group of the Multiple Sclerosis Society will use their grant to provide Zumba sessions and specialist physiotherapist-led exercise sessions for those with MS. Dr Alice Thacker, MS Merton Group Coordinator said, “Thanks to this grant from the Wimbledon Foundation, people with MS with all degrees of disability will be moving to that Latin, classical and pop beats helping to improve their overall fitness and vital cardiovascular function.”
Grants of £10,000 have also been awarded by the Wimbledon Foundation to Merton Schools Sports Partnership (MSSP) and Enable Leisure & Culture which works in Wandsworth secondary schools. MSSP will use the funding to help improve primary school pupils’ swimming abilities while Enable Leisure & Culture will be introducing Zumba, Pilates and yoga sessions to encourage female pupils to improve their fitness levels.