Disability Sport NI’s Blind Tennis Programme in partnership with Windsor Tennis Club has been shortlisted for The National Lottery Good Causes Awards.

Blind Tennis at Windsor Tennis Club was set up in 2016 and was developed and funded through Disability Sport NI as part of the National Lottery Funded, Sport NI Active Clubs Programme.


The programme was initially intended to last six weeks but is now in its second year and has recently seen players begin to compete to an international level. The players have so far competed in a friendly tournament against the Shankill Blind Tennis Club in Dublin. This then resulted in 11 of the players competing at a qualifying tournament for the world championships and five subsequently qualifying for the dlr TAKEI Blind Tennis World Championships in Dublin this year.

The programme is led by Judith Brennan, Active Clubs Coordinator for people with sight loss within Disability Sport NI. This conceptualised through communicating with the wider programme participants on what sport they were interested in and then working with Simon McFarland, Lead Coach at Windsor Tennis Club to develop the club. 

 

Debbie Shaw, a blind tennis player with Albinism said “When Judith invited me to blind tennis, I could not understand how someone with sight loss could play. However now that I have tried it I would encourage anyone to give it a go. I have never enjoyed anything so much in my entire life and it has been so good for my mental wellbeing.”

 

To vote for Blind Tennis at Windsor Tennis Club and to find out more about this fantastic project, go to http://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/project/blind-tennis-windsor-tennis. Alternatively you can vote on Twitter using the hashtag #NLABlindTennis or by phone on 0844 836 9705*.