July 2017: The Eton Fives Association is delighted to announce that thanks to generous donations from EFA members and a grant of £1,500 from City Bridge Trust, the Eton Fives team at Westway Sports and Fitness Centre in west London will be running a series of Eton Fives and Wallball holiday camps and activity days in July and August.
Led by Westway Fives Manager Dan Pritchard, the sessions will include other sports at Westway such as football and basketball, and will provide free tuition for local boys and girls aged 7-15.
City Bridge Trust, the City of London Corporation’s charitable funder, is part of the Children & Young People Funder Coalition for summer activities for young people in the wake of the Grenfell fire. The Westway Sports and Fitness Centre is one of the hubs of the local community; it was used as a refuge in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower tragedy and is now a key part of efforts to support local residents and rebuild the community.
Dan Pritchard said: “Eton Fives and Wallball are integral sports at Westway and we hope that this programme will make a small but valuable contribution towards the post-Grenfell rebuilding. Children who come to our activity days just need to bring themselves as we will provide gloves and fives balls.”
Alison Gowman, Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s City Bridge Trust committee, said: “The response of local people to the tragic events of the last few months in the capital have shown the unbreakable strength of communities, coming together in a show of common support and humanity. These summer activities will help to bring the community together and give the young people something to look forward to and focus on at such a difficult time. It is important funders work together in supporting the residents to make the best use of resources. City Bridge Trust is committed to tackling disadvantage across the capital and making London a fairer and better place to live.”
The first two free coaching sessions have already taken place and the remaining four will be run by Dan on 7, 17, 25 and 31 August between 10am and 4pm.
For more information on the holiday camps or on Fives at Westway in general, please contact Dan Pritchard on 07482 748716 or westwayfives@gmail.com.