Talking Tennis with… Tim Henman – all about The Tim Henman Foundation
We spoke to the tennis legend Tim Henman about the brilliant work his Foundation is doing to give disadvantaged children opportunities through sport and education…
“...The physical benefits [of tennis] are obvious, but then there’s also the mental health and social benefits for young people, especially after they’ve been shut inside for so long during lockdown… It’s a game that you can play forever and meet a lot of people and make a lot of friends along the way…”
A legend of British tennis, as a player Tim Henman OBE won 15 career ATP titles, reached six Grand Slam semi-finals, attained a world ranking of number 4 and frequently had myself and the entire country glued to their televisions as we cheered him on through nail biting Wimbledon epics. Now Tim is a familiar face and voice as a TV analyst - but he’s also using tennis to give back, through a charity he established back in 2000 when he was still playing at the top level.
The Tim Henman Foundation’s mission is to transform the lives of vulnerable and disadvantaged young people by improving mental as well as physical health, and creating sporting and educational opportunities.
Talking Tennis wanted to find out more about the Foundation, and we were delighted when Tim agreed to an exclusive Q&A…
Tim at Wimbledon, 2004
What was your inspiration behind setting up The Tim Henman Foundation?
I went to the David Lloyd Academy when I was eleven, which was a very important moment in my tennis development, and we studied at Reed’s School in Cobham – a great school founded as an orphanage just over 200 years ago. I remember when I was there thinking, ‘I’m very lucky because I’m good at tennis but I’m also getting a free education.’ I always felt that if I had the opportunity to give back in any area, then education would be it.
Later, when I was on the Tour, I became Charities Chairman for the ATP. But I found that didn’t really involve a great deal, and I felt that if I was going to do something then it should be a bit more tangible. That led me to set up the Tim Henman Foundation in 2000. In those early days we did various fundraisers but we gave the money to other charities like CLIC Sargent, Tommy’s and Honeypot.
Then in 2014 I decided to relaunch the Foundation, focusing specifically on the two areas of health and education for young, disadvantaged people. So I was returning to that original idea I had as a schoolboy.
What does the Tim Henman Foundation do and who does it help?
We primarily look to help children and young people in disadvantaged areas with sports and outreach activities. I think that’s become even more relevant on the back of the Covid lockdowns and the corresponding lack of opportunities for young people.
We take tennis into state schools, providing the coaching and the equipment. That’s an area that we’re very keen to keep building on, but it doesn’t necessarily just have to be tennis.
We also provide bespoke opportunities to support deserving youngsters, and special needs programmes which work with hospices and special educational needs and disability units within schools.
Wherever we find there’s a need at a particular school we try and support it where we can – and so far that’s included everything from singing to horse riding!
Why should all children have access to sport - and in particular tennis?
Sport is so important on so many different levels, and that’s become even more evident than ever on the back of Covid. The physical benefits of sport are obvious, but then there’s also the mental health benefits for young people, especially after they’ve been shut inside for so long during lockdown, not being able to go out and exercise.
I think the social benefits are particularly great with tennis. It’s a game that you can play forever, meet a lot of people and make a lot of friends along the way.
Above and top: Tim joins pupils and coaches at Chestnut Park Primary School in Croydon for a session in the primary school dining hall. Over 590 pupils at schools within the Glynn Learning Foundation Trust took part in the Tim Henman Foundation Community Activity Programme which targets young people on Free School Meals providing sporting opportunities , mentoring and gives a pathway into local clubs.
What is your proudest moment with The Tim Henman Foundation?
It’s difficult to say one thing is better than another – all the work we’re doing across the board is hopefully beneficial. But to take one of the most recent things, I’m really happy with our project at Chestnut Park Primary School in Croydon, targeting young people on free school meals. Over 590 pupils have taken part in our 12-week fitness and tennis programme, at the end of which they get an LTA starter pack including a racket and tennis balls.
Then there’s the work we’ve been doing with Naomi House and Jacksplace Hospice Care for children and young people in the south of England. To see the good that they do there, with our help, has just been amazing.
Tim with a young adult from Naomi House and Jacksplace Hospice Care.
What are your goals for the Foundation – and what are the main challenges?
I’m very motivated to help where we can, and there are so many projects we’ve worked on that are really worthwhile, so essentially we just want to carry on and keep doing more in those areas.
We have a new CEO on board, Jamie Feaver, who is looking at how to maximise our impact, so that’s important. But the biggest challenge is always fundraising. Obviously it was very tough in lockdown when we couldn’t have our normal events.
Our main fundraiser is the Pro-Am tournament the week before Wimbledon, where I get ten of the professionals who are about to play at The Championships and we play a tournament on grass at Hurlingham. It’s a lot of fun - Andy and Jamie Murray are hopefully going to play this year.
Right from the start one of the things I identified as being important was sustainability: we want to be able to keep funding these programmes so that they last - that’s a big challenge for a small foundation.
But overall we’re in a good spot, and we will continue to help in these key areas of sport and education.
Andy Murray plays at the 2019 Tim Henman Foundation Pro-Am event
How can people get involved with the Foundation?
The website is a good place to start, it gives a pretty clear picture of what we’re about and what we do. You can donate, follow our campaigns and support our events, or even fundraise yourself for us.
Finally, we all enjoyed the public success you had as a top professional player, but what else did tennis give to you that made you want to inspire others to play?
Tennis has given me fantastic opportunities and amazing experiences. It’s given me life skills that will serve me for the rest of my life, but also a massive amount of enjoyment. I was able to follow my dreams.
I always say that I never wanted a ‘real job’, and that’s where I’ve felt incredibly lucky because tennis was never a job, it was my hobby… And to still be involved in the game, I just feel very fortunate.
About The Tim Henman Foundation
In 2020/21, despite the impact of Covid on its normal fundraising events, the Tim Henman Foundation supported 3,756 young people by:
Delivering 8 Partner Programmes reaching 3,610 children across 62 schools with an average Free School Meals rate of 18%. These programmes were tennis, table tennis and STEM workshops.
We supported 13 deserving young people in need of support with bespoke programmes.
We worked with hospices and SEND schools/units to support 133 young people who have profound disabilities and are life limited.
Last Christmas, the Foundation also ran a campaign ‘Feeding your Spark’ in partnership with La Piccola Deli (Ticco Foods Limited) to distribute thousands of free foods for home meals to students at GLF Schools in the most deprived areas and raise funds to increase sporting participation in disadvantaged areas.
There are many more areas where Tim’s charity is doing fantastic work, from the #FindingYourSpark campaign which helps young people experiencing poverty and hardship to explore their passions, to providing playground facilities for children with complex neurodisabilities… and much more.
You can read all about the Tim Henman Foundation and get involved at henmanfoundation.org and follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Interview by Lizzie Flint. Additional material by Andrew Nixon.