Ben Shelton delivers food to local community project to support sustainability efforts at cinch Championships
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Ahead of the 2024 cinch Championships, international tennis star and world No.14 Ben Shelton visited the Barons Court Project, near the Queen's Club, to deliver a donation of surplus food.
To ensure no good food is wasted, the LTA works with City Harvest food charity to redistribute leftover food from the cinch Championships to donate to local community projects. This year City Harvest celebrates its 10 year anniversary & feeds over 120,000 people a week via their 375 community partner projects. Working with events such as the cinch championships, City Harvest strives to deliver a healthier diet for those in need, rescuing food, people and planet.
This ensures food from the event doesn't go to waste and benefits organisations like the Barons Court Project, a charity which plays an important role in supporting the local community. The project helps provide a space for people on low incomes, homeless or vulnerable to mental health issues to access basic services, as well as helping to develop their skills and employability – like art, cooking and IT.
After delivering food to Barons Court Project, Shelton was shown around the centre by the charity’s Director, Michael, and had the opportunity to meet some of those who use the facilities to paint.
Speaking at the visit, the world No.14 and sixth seed at the 2024 cinch Championships said "It was incredible to visit Baron’s Court Project, meet Michael and see how the centre supports people from the local community.
"I was blown away by the passion and commitment from Michael and his team to help provide a safe and inclusive space that genuinely changes lives.
“It’s great that the LTA is able to support local organisations like this by donating leftover food from the cinch Championships. Food waste is a big challenge, but we can all play our part to help protect our planet and have a positive impact.”
Working to reduce food waste is one way in which we are helping to secure a lasting future for tennis in Britain, through positive climate action and leadership in sustainability.
Food waste is a huge challenge, and tackling this is one way in which tennis events, players and fans can have a positive impact on the environment. 9.5 million tonnes of food are wasted across the country every year, and around one third of all food produced globally goes to waste, representing a huge challenge.
In 2023, this meant that 3000 meals were donated to the local community via City Harvest, saving nearly 5 tonnes of carbon emissions and helping charities in the local area go further to provide vital services to those who need them.
Alongside efforts to reduce food waste, we also have a number of initiatives in place across our summer major events to reduce waste and carbon emissions, and support players and fans in taking positive action. This includes:
- Removing 100,000 single use bottles through a partnership with BRITA, delivering water via BRITA dispensers and refillable bottles to players, officials and ticket holders
- Highlighting “eco options” to fans on menus – low carbon options which have a reduced impact on the planet
- Using HVO fuel in all temporary power generators – a sustainable fuel that results in 90% less emissions compared to fossil fuels
- Introducing 16 electric vehicles into the summer tournament car fleet
- Encouraging fans to use public transport to travel to events, where possible
- Removing 200,000 single use plastic cups through a reusable cup scheme
Environmental Sustainability
Find out more about what the LTA is doing to secure a lasting future for tennis in Britain.
