The Standard's Sporting Chance campaign, in partnership with Greenhouse Sports, has raised £955,000, surpassing its previous total of £500,000. The final day of the campaign sees backing from Paralympic table tennis world number one Will Bayley and British sprinter Zharnel Hughes, with funds supporting sports coaching and mentoring for young people in London.
Donations boost campaign total
A contribution of over £300,000 from Bloomberg, Man Charitable Trust, Blue Owl, CVC, Pemberton, and BGC Group—long-standing partners of Greenhouse Sports—will go directly to the charity. An additional £154,000 from The London Community Foundation will fund four charities: The Saracens Sport Foundation and Unitas (Barnet) Youth Zone in Barnet, and Uptown Youth Services and AFC Wimbledon Foundation in Merton. These charities use rugby, boxing, dance, and football respectively to engage young people.
Bayley said: "Sport has shaped my life in ways I could never have imagined. It has given me confidence, purpose and a community, but I know it’s rarely just the sport that makes the difference. It is the people around it — the coaches, parents, your ‘tribe’ who encourage and believe in you. That’s what Greenhouse is for so many kids and why I am delighted to support this campaign."
Jemima's journey from shy newcomer to prefect
Fourteen-year-old Jemima, who arrived from Bangladesh five years ago speaking barely any English, has become a regional champion in a public speaking competition, secured work experience with sports law firm Onside Law, and been made a prefect. She attributes her transformation to tennis and her Greenhouse Sports coach, Tom Sippy.
Jemima said: "Coach Tom made me realise it is okay to mess up and miss. And because I was a beginner, I missed more than I hit. Failure was intensely frustrating, but eventually I hit more than I missed and I realised: missing is a means to an end. It made me braver and I took more risks in my personal life. Becoming a prefect was never on the cards for me. Without Tom’s encouragement, I would never have gone for it."
Coach Tom Sippy, 36, a qualified primary school teacher, said: "She’s come to this country at nine barely speaking English — to this! She’s not afraid to fail and she has resilience. This is the culture we try to create at Greenhouse."
Impact on schools and students
At St Anne’s Catholic High School for Girls in Enfield, headteacher Emma Loveland said Greenhouse Sports provides tennis coaching that has improved attendance, attainment, and behaviour. She said: "Around 150 of our 940 girls play tennis, with around one-third referred because they are struggling with their emotions or confidence. Tennis gives them self-esteem. Their whole way of walking changes."
Gabriele, 15, who took up basketball two years ago, has become one of the top players at her school in Croydon. Coach Clayden Nicholson said: "She arrived as a tadpole, now she’s a big fish. I predict great things." Gabriele aims to study sports science at a top university. The campaign calls on corporations, foundations, philanthropists, and readers to donate to help reach £1 million, with all funds going to Greenhouse Sports programmes in London.
