The All England Lawn Tennis Club and its official charity, the Wimbledon Foundation, have reaffirmed their support of Wandsworth in celebration of their year as The Mayor of London’s Borough of Culture 2025.
Most recently, set against the backdrop of The Championships Qualifying Competition, which is staged in Roehampton (in the borough of Wandsworth) and is now in its 100th year, the following activity was facilitated:
- More than 500 children from six Wandsworth primary schools have attended free learning sessions run by the All England Club’s Learning team followed by the chance to watch live tennis.
- The Wimbledon Foundation’s recent photography exhibition, Champions of Merton and Wandsworth, which was displayed in Wimbledon and Wandsworth town centres in the spring, also went on display at Qualifying, celebrating remarkable individuals making a difference to the lives of others in the local community.
The Wimbledon Foundation has also demonstrated its support through the latest round of the Wimbledon Foundation’s Community Fund, inviting grant applications for community arts projects which engage local residents, in addition to its usual four grant themes.
Grants of up to £10,000 were made available to projects which improve the quality of people’s lives through culture; contribute towards improved health and wellbeing; provide access to employment, skills and learning opportunities; and encourage community participation and celebration.
Grants totalling more than £125,000 have been awarded to 15 Wandsworth-based community arts projects including:
- Kunsaka to fund a weekly arts and nature for wellbeing project for older people from minority communities;
- Living Communities CIC to fund a mural art project at Franciscan Road Family Centre working with young adults with special educational needs and disabilities and their families; and
- Providence House, a youth centre in Battersea, to create a video artwork that will be a lasting testament to the diverse and resilient nature of older Wandsworth residents.
On the Wimbledon Foundation’s Community Fund decision-making panel was 23-year-old Shaniah Williams, a London Borough of Culture Local Champion and member of Wandsworth Community Empowerment Network’s Black Minds Matter programme (which was funded by the Wimbledon Foundation, 2019 to 2024).
Shaniah was invited to join the panel by the Foundation to provide the Borough of Culture’s perspective and to help ensure the Foundation’s grant-making remains inclusive and forward-looking.
Shaniah will also be working at this year’s Championships for the third time through the Foundation’s Work at Wimbledon scheme which helps local people facing barriers to employment to access jobs at The Championships.
The All England Club has also made a financial contribution to the Southfields Business Forum to enhance Southfields Village during The Championships, and by donating 500 Championships tickets to refugees supported by Wandsworth charities including Care4Calais, Home Community Café, Katherine Low Settlement, Mindworks UK and Wandsworth Welcomes Refugees.
Councillor Kemi Akinola said: “We are grateful to the All England Club and the Wimbledon Foundation for the different ways in which they have supported community arts during our year as London Borough of Culture. Through funding local theatres and arts organisations including Bounce Theatre, Rah Rah Community Theatre and Liberty Choir, they are helping us showcase the incredible creativity that thrives here in Wandsworth.”
Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, said:“It’s wonderful that the All England Lawn Tennis Club and the Wimbledon Foundation are supporting Wandsworth in their year as the Mayor’s London Borough of Culture. Partnership working is key to the success of the programme, enabling a fantastic range of activities including school dance performances and a photography exhibition. This collaboration will also provide funding for exciting new work as we continue to build a better and fairer London for everyone.”
Ulrika Hogberg, AELTC Head of Community Strategy, said: “Supporting and strengthening our local community is incredibly important to us and we’re delighted to have been able to use the collective strength of Wimbledon to support Wandsworth’s London Borough of Culture Year in a variety of ways. It’s been fantastic to see local children be inspired by the heritage of The Championships at the Qualifying Competition, which takes place on their doorsteps in Roehampton, and we’re excited to see the art and creativity that comes from projects funded by the Foundation during the next nine months.”
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