National social care charity, Community Integrated Care, is proud to announce Serving Inclusion – a major new strategic partnership with the LTA Tennis Foundation, which kicked off with a special celebration of The Championships, Wimbledon.
Serving Inclusion aims to strengthen both the tennis and social care sectors by delivering first-of-their kind inclusive programmes that promote skill-building, health, learning, and social connection for people who draw on care and support.
At its core, the initiative is about creating a more accessible and welcoming tennis environment – one that supports people of all abilities to get involved, stay active, develop and share skills, and be part of an inclusive community.
“We are incredibly proud to award one of our largest scale grants to date to Community Integrated Care for their visionary ‘Serving Inclusion’ project,” said Tom Gibbins, Head of the LTA Tennis Foundation. “This partnership represents a bold step forward in our mission to make tennis more inclusive, accessible, and impactful. We’re excited to see the transformative change this collaboration will bring to both the tennis and social care sectors.”
The partnership sees the organisations come together to empower people who draw on social care to engage in the LTA’s events, and volunteer, work, and participate in the sport, whilst also delivering groundbreaking event accessibility, social inclusion and community outreach strategies with the sport.
About Community Integrated Care
Community Integrated Care is one of the UK’s largest and most successful social care charities, delivering over eight million hours of specialist care and support each year.
Beyond care, the charity is a recognised leader in social innovation, delivering award-winning programmes and partnerships that tackle the health, social, and economic inequalities faced by disabled communities.
“Serving Inclusion is set to become one of the most ambitious social change partnerships in both the sport and social care sectors,” said John Hughes, Director of Partnerships and Communities at Community Integrated Care. “We’re immensely proud to be working with the LTA Tennis Foundation to harness the power of tennis to address inequalities. Their bold vision has empowered us to explore the true art of the possible.”
Bringing the Wimbledon Magic to Social Care
The partnership kicked off with a one-of-a-kind creative online experience, introducing first-time fans to the magic of the sport and the iconic The Championships, Wimbledon tournament – through the charity’s groundbreaking www.What-To-Do.co.uk platform.
Nearly 30 care services across Britain enjoyed the unique online experience – blending physical and creative activities, with the chance to be inspired and learn from LTA coaches and leaders in the world of tennis.
Following inspiring messages and challenges from tennis heroes, including legendary coach Judy Murray and three-time Wimbledon doubles winner Neal Skupski, the session culminated in an exciting creative exercise where participants were empowered to imagine themselves playing and winning at SW19. The session offered an unforgettable introduction to the sport for everyone who attended.
John Hughes said: “This experience showcases the creativity and passion at the heart of our collaboration. We were thrilled to see so many participants express a new enthusiasm for tennis. Their confidence, excitement, and connection with the sport reflect the potential of this partnership.”
Matt Elkington, LTA’s EDI Programme Manager for Disabled People said; “This marked an exciting step forward. This session stood out for its creativity, engagement, and thoughtful design.”
He continued, “It was inspiring to see people supported by Community Integrated Care participating in tennis from their homes, supported by their teams. The event showed that tennis can be so much more than just playing the game – it included warm-ups inspired by tennis, opportunities to try out commentary, and even creating their own match-winning celebrations. I’m really excited about the potential of this kind of delivery and can’t wait to explore how we can make it even more accessible and affordable in the future.”
Sushma Majithia, who is supported by Community Integrated Care and employed by the charity as an expert by experience, said: “This was an amazing experience. I really loved finding out about Wimbledon and tennis. It has inspired me to watch the tournament on television and to go to the Lexus Nottingham Open next year. As someone who works to champion inclusion and opportunity for people who draw on social care, I think that the partnership between Community Integrated Care and the LTA Tennis Foundation is brilliant and will change lots of lives. I’m excited to discover more opportunities.”
