Tennis fundraising campaigns during Wimbledon fortnight
Howard Lake | 29 June 2021 | News
The Championships are underway at Wimbledon this week, and as always this London SW19 event inspires tennis-related fundraising campaigns. Here are some we have spotted.
Tennis-a-thons for Dementia UK
Denbigh Tennis Club is planning a 12-hour tennis marathon on 17 July to raise funds for Dementia UK.
It is one of many clubs taking part in Tennis-a-thons on that day in aid of Dementia UK.
Activities will range from junior coaching to a club tournament and from a ball machine challenge to a friendly match against a local club.
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Heather Watson supports WaterAid
Tennis star Heather Watson has teamed up with WaterAid and the Wimbledon Foundation to help two girls from London fulfil their dream of playing tennis at Wimbledon, whilst highlighting the importance of clean water in unlocking the futures of children from around the world.
Ysehult, 14, and Annabel, seven, are members of the Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative (WJTI), a local community coaching programme set up to encourage children to play tennis. The girls were winners of a Wimbledon Foundation competition, in which they shared their dreams of becoming professional tennis players.
The girls have missed playing tennis during lockdown and were thrilled to get the chance to play on one of the exclusive Championships courts at the heart of Wimbledon.
Their dream of playing tennis at Wimbledon was encapsulated in a bespoke glass droplet, created as part of a wider project where WaterAid and the Wimbledon Foundation asked children around the world to share their dreams for the future, and in a post-pandemic world.
Amongst the other dreams represented in the droplets is that of Tsehaynesh, 15, from Derekwa in Ethiopia, who wants to be a midwife when she grows up. Before WaterAid installed three water points in her community, she used to spend around two hours a day collecting water from a spring along a muddy path. She missed school and it affected her studies. Now she thinks her dream might come true.
Bruce Weatherill, Chairman of the Wimbledon Foundation, said:
“Childhood is supposed to be a time to learn, play and dream about the future. But many children around the world are being held back from fulfilling their dreams by a lack of clean water.
“Through our ongoing partnership with WaterAid, the Wimbledon Foundation is championing clean water for healthy lives; freeing women and children from the burden of collecting water; and giving them an equal chance of being healthy, educated and able to reach their true potential. The Wimbledon Foundation is also providing crucial funding for water, sanitation and hygiene in healthcare centres in Ethiopia, Malawi, Myanmar and Madagascar.”
Wimbledon House from Omaze
Online fundraising platform Omaze has launched a new campaign with a Wimbledon flavour. It is offering a £3m house in Wimbledon in a prize draw which will raise funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.
The five-bedroom house is just 10 minutes from Wimbledon’s Centre Court and near to Wimbledon Common. It has an integral double garage with interior door and beautiful two-tier gardens.
The draw closes on the 21st November 2021.
Omaze has run other house raffles to benefit charities.
More Wimbledon fundraising
- HSBC continues to support Wimbledon Ticket Resale Scheme (25 June 2021)
- Murray Wimbledon shirt raises £10,000 for Malaria No More UK (10 August 2016)
- World Water Day sees three-year partnership launch between WaterAid and Wimbledon Foundation (22 March 2018)
- Ace fundraising idea from American Express (29 June 2004)
- Oxfam could win £100,000 at Wimbledon from legacy donor’s bet (16 June 2010)
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.