Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, Unchain the Plain’s Juven Rittles and TV and Radio personality Aden Thomas ahead of their match

Drawing large crowds and big names in politics, sport, music and government, the third annual Street Tennis Tournament, also known as “Wimbledon in Westridge”, served up all the action for young and old.

On Tuesday 2 July the street was shut down, and this year two street courts and a third grass court were featured, in a bid to claim the streets and open spaces back.

Organiser Rodney Brown said: “With the turnout we had it grows every year. We want to highlight that it is June School holidays and there is nothing happening in the street. When I grew up the June school holidays were ‘the thing’. With Wimbeldon on the horizon, it is about getting kids to be active.”

With safety and security concerns about having children playing on the streets or parks as well as lack of resources, this initiative was born in partnership with like-minded organisations.

Brown said reclaiming these open spaces means less opportunity for it to be used to field social ills. 

Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, who attended the event for the first time, said while he had never played tennis before he enjoyed putting his beach-ball skills to use.

“I have heard about this wonderful community gees that brings people together, brings people out of their homes to enjoy the outdoors,” he said.

The tournament also featured TV and Radio personality Aden Thomas, musician Salome, DJ Portia, politicians Regan Allen and Nazier Paulsen and MEC for Cultural Affairs and Sport, Ricardo Mackenzie. 

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