An impact report released today by The All England Lawn Tennis Club and the Wimbledon Foundation has showcased the most extensive year of support yet – with 60,000 people across the London boroughs of Merton and Wandsworth directly benefitting from a range of year-round community initiatives.
Wimbledon Foundation, the official charity of the Club and The Championships, which aims to make a positive difference to people’s lives, has donated over £1.8m to support 123 local organisations across both boroughs. The Foundation also helped local people find employment, supported local arts projects, and donated thousands of items including plants, towels and clothing.
Headline activity includes:
The Wimbledon Foundation’s Work at Wimbledon scheme employed 143 local people at The Championships 2025. This scheme is designed to help people supported by local charity partners who are facing barriers to employment access jobs at Wimbledon. The number of local people employed through this scheme increased by 138% from 2024. Of those employed, 43% said their role at The Championships was their first paid job and 93% felt more confident in applying for other roles after developing valuable skills to support their future careers.
George Turner, co-founder of Carney’s Community, a youth charity based in Battersea, said: “The Wimbledon Foundation has been our biggest employer, giving people that others see as unemployable, the opportunity to show others, and themselves, they are able to work.”
Engaging with 55 state primary schools across Merton and Wandsworth enabled over 5,000 children to benefit from the Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative, with 34 of those schools receiving a full six weeks of free tennis coaching. In addition, pupils at four Merton and Wandsworth state secondary schools took part in the Set for Success programme, the Foundation’s national programme run in partnership with Barclays and delivered by Youth Sport Trust, which helps young people develop leadership and life skills with the opportunity to receive an accredited qualification at the end of the two-year programme.
The All England Club welcomed more than 2,600 local residents to an array of community events during the last 12 months. Thirty-three local schools took part in Wimbledon’s Learning programme, supported by Barclays. The programme offers engaging, inspiring and interactive workshops for local children at every key learning stage. In addition, Wimbledon’s best-in-class Early Years programme hosts sensory and creative sessions at both the All England Club’s main site and its Community Tennis Centre in Raynes Park for children up to five years, as well as at family centres and community events across the two boroughs.
Working with Wandsworth Council during its Borough of Culture year (April 2025 – March 2026), the Foundation has awarded grants to 15 community arts projects through its Community Fund. The grants, totalling over £125,000, are enabling local charities and community groups to run arts projects engaging minority communities, the elderly and those with special educational needs and disabilities.
Local residents also benefitted from post-Championships donations, including more than 5,000 plants for community spaces such as St George’s Hospital, towels for the Faith in Action Merton Homelessness Project and Dolphin Swimming Club, and women’s and children’s clothing for local charities such as Saving Grace for Purpose.
Paige Murphy, Head of the Wimbledon Foundation, said: “We’re really proud of our work across the boroughs of Merton and Wandsworth, not only the increase in impact, but also the variety of our support across communities. It’s important to note that this is all done in partnership with local charities, so we’d like to thank them for their commitment to making a difference in our community and helping us to champion opportunity for all.”
Ulrika Hogberg, Head of Community Strategy at the All England Club, said: “Wimbledon is part of the local community, so it is important to us that we make a positive contribution throughout the year. By connecting people with the magic of Wimbledon first-hand, be that over the two weeks of The Championships or through our year-round activities, our hope is that everyone feels part of Wimbledon.”
