The Northumberland Club, a sports bar and lounge in North Jesmond, is launching tennis classes for children aged 8-18 with learning disabilities such as aspergers, autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). 

The classes will be held every Saturday from 2pm, starting 11th November.

Mandy Tulip, the general manager of The Northumberland Club and driving force behind these classes, told JesmondLocal it will cost £3 per session.

The classes have been launched following a successful taster session on Sunday 15th October that the club organised. This session was in partnership with The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), the United Kingdom’s national tennis governing organisation, in an aim to provide accessible tennis opportunities for everyone.

The LTA has worked with The Northumberland club previously, recently offering tennis sessions to members of the club with Parkinson’s disease. The use of hand-eye co-ordination that is required in tennis is believed to help slow the onset of Parkinson’s. 

Initially nervous about organising the children’s taster session, Tulip worked with the Regional Disability Development partner within the LTA, Mark Elkington.

The session ran from 11:30 am to 12:45pm in mid-October, led by head tennis coach John Henderson, with the goal to encourage children’s motor skill development.

Tulip told JesmondLocal she organised the taster session as a response to “parents asking if there is anything catered for children who are on the autistic spectrum”. 

“There have been questions from parents if tennis can be adapted to make it more comfortable for the children,” she said.

Prior to organising the class, the 50-year-old met with northern sports clubs to “discuss what opportunities they could offer for disability inclusivity” and coaches were specifically trained to tailor to the children’s needs. 

John Boden, a tennis coach at The Northumberland Club, told JesmondLocal he is “very pleased that such classes can take place”. 

“As a coach it is a privilege to have the chance to run an event like this and be able to give the opportunities to children that wouldn’t necessarily be able to manage our every day sessions,” he said.

As a parent of a SEN (special educational needs) child himself, Boden is “hoping that events like this become more readily available”. 

Alongside other coaches from the club, the 27-year-old has attended courses held in Sunderland Tennis Centre looking at the best practices for various disabilities including visual impairments and wheelchair users. 

“This helps us to learn specific skills to coach and deliver sessions specific to each person’s individual needs,” he said.

Despite only four children showing up for the taster day when eight expressed an interest and booked, these classes are planned to “give each child the opportunity to have lots of fun and be able to learn some basic tennis skills throughout the session”, said Boden. 

To find out more about these upcoming tennis classes contact the club at  0191 281 5858  / reception@northumberlandclub.org