With an exciting summer of sport taking place, and Wimbledon an ever present in the July sporting calendar, we were thrilled to be involved in the coming together of a host of different generations to celebrate and embrace the tennis tournament.
Last month, we were privileged to attend The Deanes Secondary School, where young leaders from year 7 and 8, students from Thundersley Primary School and residents from local day opportunity providers for an exciting intergenerational event as part of the Essex Year of Opportunity. The day consisted of tennis themed activities, conversation, and the enjoyment of the Women’s Singles Quarter Finals on the big screen. Through our relationship with the Castle Point and Rochford School Sports Partnership (CPRSSP) and the Essex County Council Adult Social Care Locality Team, we were able to help them connect and bring their idea to life.
Building Bridges, One Rally at a Time
The day began in The Deanes Tennis Centre, with students from Thundersley Primary School being led in an inclusive tennis session, aimed at teaching them basic tennis skills and developing their understanding of the sport. Alongside this, residents supported by Adult Social Care and from a local care home took part in a seated set of Boccia games and balance exercises, run by coaches from Sport for Confidence.
After some time enjoying these activities, those in attendance then made their way to a classroom to enjoy Wimbledon themed strawberries and cream, sandwiches, and cups of tea, sharing stories and forging new connections across generations whilst watching the matches unfold on the big screen. Following the theme of building connections, health and social care colleagues discussed their roles with the children, encouraging conversations about future career aspirations and opportunities.
As these new connections were made, attendees made their way back into the tennis centre where all generations then took part in some more games of Boccia, engaging in friendly competition with each other, whilst laughing throughout. The day ended with a raffle, with tennis and Wimbledon themed prizes up for grabs.
During the intergenerational event, we spoke to some of the older residents in attendance, where we asked them what advice they’d give to the next generation. Derrick, one of the care home residents simply replied, “just go for it!”
Such simple words which resonate so clearly with us as an organisation, representing our attitude to getting others active.
Some may wonder how the success of events like these can be measured. Steve Bish, Active Essex Education Practitioner, who was pivotal in bringing this event together explained that gaining feedback from the organisations involved and assessing the demand for future days like the Wimbledon event would be how he would understand if it was successful or not.
Certainly, by that mark, we served an ace! This Wimbledon themed intergenerational event proved to be a massive success, with those in attendance from all age groups stating how much they’d enjoyed having the opportunity to come together in this way.
“The importance of community lies in the strength we find when we come together. Regardless of age or ability, we are all human beings in search of connection, understanding, and belonging”
Debbie Kirk, Integration and Partnership Locality Lead – South East Essex
Moving forward
As the day wrapped up, everyone left with new stories, a smile, and a renewed appreciation for the power of community. At Active Essex we aim to continue strengthening communities as well as promoting physical activity.
“The Deanes School and SSP Team are delighted to be hosting an event which uses the power of sport to bring together people of different ages and generations. It has been a fantastic opportunity for our students to be involved in the planning and delivery of an event such as this, along with the life skills brought to the forefront such as communication and building relationships which will help them in life and future careers.
Most importantly, it’s been wonderful to see the enjoyment and interactions between the primary children, secondary students and adults from our community.
We hope this is the start of a longer-term partnership for the school and we are looking forward to working with colleagues at ECC in the future”
Steve Bish, Partnership Development Manager
