Saturday 5th July 2025
A group of eight children who are regularly coached by Leeta through the Jason Roberts Foundation’s (JRF) Tennis programme, were treated to a trip to the Wimbledon Championships on Saturday, thanks to the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) donating ten tickets to the charity group, through StreetGames as part of the LTA Serves programme.
Tennis coaches Leeta and Rui accompanied the children to Court No. 2 where, throughout the day they enjoyed being amongst the throng of spectators of the Ladies singles match, Men’s singles, and Men’s doubles, where British duo Lloyd Glasspool and Julian Cash went through to the second round after they beat American Vasil Kirkov and Dutchman Bart Stevens in straight sets.
The children who live in Brent, would not ordinarily have the opportunity to play tennis however, several years ago, Leeta raised money to start a tennis group through the JRF, and after receiving her tennis coaching qualification, Leeta has expanded the programme into local schools as well as at the JRF hub.
The lucky group who enjoyed a trip of a lifetime to the Wimbledon Championships train with Leeta most weeks, and two of them have now won scholarships with a tennis club and coach.
In addition to the matches on Court No 2, the children were able to visit Centre Court and enjoyed some themed activities, as well as a bite to eat at a local restaurant, before journeying home in the JRF minibus.
Leeta commented; “Thanks to StreetGames providing local groups with tickets donated through the LTA Serves programme, the children were given the opportunity to connect with the world of elite tennis, adding great value to community initiatives. It has certainly inspired them to keep practicing and perhaps in the future, we will see one or two of them competing in the Championship.”
From the smiles on the children’s faces and their enthusiastic recollection of the matches they watched, it was clearly an unforgettable day at one of the biggest events in the sporting calendar.
Enjoy a video overview of the day here https://vimeo.com/1100014235
