24 June 2021

On Wednesday 23 June, our founder Tim Henman welcomed 12-year-old Edrich, winner of the #FindingYourSpark competition, to the Hurlingham Club in Fulham for a one-to-one tennis coaching session.

Edrich entered the competition by sending us a compelling video explaining that he found his spark in tennis but has encountered many obstacles to accessing high-quality and regular training. Despite setbacks, he does everything possible to maximise his time on the court, including arriving at school by bus at 7:30am for a school-run session.

Edrich and Tim spent an hour practicing their forehand, backhand, volleys, and serves, even ending the session with a match, where Edrich managed to snag a few points against Tim.

Tim also presented Edrich with a number of unique gifts, including one of Tim’s old tennis rackets which he signed, a signed shirt he played in as captain of England, a signed tennis ball from Wimbledon 2021, and a Wimbledon 2021 towel. 

After a sun-soaked hour on the courts, Edrich and Tim headed up to lunch at the Hurlingham Club where they were rewarded with a big meal and refreshing drinks to cool down from the game.

Edrich’s mother, Marleen, expressed her gratitude for the day’s events. She said:

“Today has been an amazing experience for both of us. Meeting Mr Henman is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Thank you so much.”

Our Founder Tim Henman said:

“It was fantastic to meet Edrich and to coach and play with such a determined young athlete. Edrich certainly has a lot of potential and I wish him all the best in his future endeavours, both on and off the tennis court.”

The Tim Henman Foundation would like to thank Edrich for entering the competition and both Edrich and Marleen for being so fantastic. We hope to run similar competitions in the future to help other young children like Edrich reflect on how they found their spark and experience a fantastic day of one-to-one coaching with a world-class athlete.