Relaxed Inclusive Autism Friendly Tennis

Working with Hinckley and Bosworth Council(HBBC) the club supported a “Come and Try it Day” at Sport in Desford. The “Come and Try it Day” offers young people with a disability the chance to try a range of sports over a morning or afternoon. All the sports on offer are run by clubs in the borough who offer disability sessions. Desford Lawn Tennis Club support every session that the Council run and through this they have been able to attract and support new players as well as offering the opportunity for young neurodiverse people to try tennis, many of whom have never picked up a racket before.

The club and HBBC run Autism Friendly Holiday Camps during the Easter Holidays and three during the Summer Holidays. Numbers are limited to 10 participants a session to ensure each participant has a positive experience. To run these sessions, we accessed funding to subsidize the sessions. Every participant received a personalised certificate and tennis related gift e.g. dampener, grip, wrist band at the end of the camps.

Many parents wish to book their child onto weekly sessions. engaged with parents to find out best time to run sessions.

To run the weekly sessions, HBBC Supported the club to again apply for grants to subsidize the sessions to ensure it was accessible to participants. We accessed old rackets from club members and regripped them, so each participant has their own racket.

• We consulted with parents on the best day and time to run the sessions
• Sessions run when the club is quite
• Limited number to eight to ensure quality sessions and individual coaching
• Register with Special Olympics to give appropriate pathways to competition
• Promote Dan Maskell Training sessions
• Participants can stay in the group or if comfortable join the junior sessions run on a Saturday morning.
• Themed sessions e.g. Grand Slam Sessions, Halloween, Christmas and Easter sessions

We support the parents/carers. Informing them of individual grants they could apply for to support the purchase of kit and attendance at sessions, Provide information about activities, explain what we are looking to achieve in each sessions and provide activities to do at home. We also supported the parents and carers by providing free refreshments and information from HBBC about health and wellbeing activities for themselves and their children.

This programme and the Coach who runs it, who is neurodiverse themselves won the Leicestershire LTA Opening Tennis UP award and an LTA Excellence Award in 2025 for developing this programme with HBBC.