Avon Tennis at the Ignite Multisport Winter Event

Ignite Multisport Winter Event 22.11.25 at Clifton College

Attendees on behalf of Avon Tennis: Helen Abbott, Carol Weeks, Jane Woodruff, Claire Callaghan, Patrick Treen

This event gave Avon Tennis the opportunity to showcase our open court offering and provide a taster experience for those who are disabled/neurodivergent or who have other special needs. We introduced tennis to some new youngsters and had hits with many who were already familiar with the wider offering across Avon. We were assisted in this by a couple of University of Bristol volunteers.

We had a table with relevant information on it and a banner, but most of the time was spent being active with the young people and their wider families, discussing their varied needs and how we can help.

Whilst we did not keep count of the number of people accessing us, we had at least 5 players coming through every 30 minutes for the first 2 and a half hours and multiple positive interactions. Disabilities were wide ranging, from Downs Syndrome and Autism through to those with more profound disability. We were able to adapt games and activities in accordance with individual needs. Some players were able to engage in conventional hitting whilst others were able to interact with balloons and play games using a bean bag.

A fantastic day and great to see so many people coming and trying tennis.

Here is a lovely picture of 2 of the girls who joined us for a hit on the day https://www.activityalliance.org.uk/news/10294-disability-sports-news-november-2025

You can see more photos here https://www.accesssport.org.uk/news/ignite-bristol-multi-sport-festival-clifton-college

And BBC coverage https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg5151nz637o

See below a list of Open Court opportunities in Avon