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Tamesis Club hosted 22 boats for the Spring 5 round of the London & Southeast regional Topper series on Saturday 25th May 2025.

Track legend Sir Mo Farah was a surprise guest at the latest SporTedd fundraising Olympic Preview event at The Wharf in Teddington. The four times Gold medallist is one of the world’s greatest long distance runners and was a familiar figure locally when he lived in Waldegrave Road and trained in Bushy Park. His appearance was a massive boost to the event and he agreed to join the panel of former 2004 Olympic Gold medallist 100 metre relay star Jason Gardener, Olympic swimmer Mark Foster, Gold medal winning Fiji rugby 7’s coach Ben Ryan and 10.000 metre record holder David Bedford. Former sports editor Alison Kervin quizzed the panel about their differing Olympic experiences and memorable stories including their training regimes and their views on the upcoming Olympics in Paris. SporTedd chair Trevor Alldridge said: “We continue to be overwhelmed by the generosity of our sporting hero guests who give their time freely to support SporTedd and of course all those who attend and help us support those local sporting organisations which need a bit of financial help.” About 80 guests enjoyed a three course supper at the riverside restaurant where raffle prizes included Team GB memorabilia, tickets for England v Japan at Twickenham, signed photos, vouchers for local restaurants and boxes of Walkers crisps. SporTedd was set up to raise funds for local sport-themed projects and is close to reaching a massive £100.000 milestone. If you are interested in joining or you are involved in an organisation which may need financial support go to www.sportedd.co.uk

SporTedd recently donated to The Harlequins Foundation, surpassing the fundraising target with a total of £21,757. This generous contribution has provided crucial equipment for The Jesters, the wheelchair rugby team under The Harlequins’ umbrella, enabling them to continue their training and excel in the sport. Claudia, Captain of The Jesters, highlights the profound impact on players’ lives, emphasising the importance of team camaraderie and mental health support. This support has been a vital resource for disabled individuals, providing access to team sports that were previously challenging due to various barriers. The Harlequins Foundation would like to thank the SporTedd and their members for the donation.

The former Beirut hostage John McCarthy was the special guest at the latest SporTedd fund-raising dinner held at The Wharf riverside restaurant in Teddington on Tuesday 17th October. John, who has lived in Teddington for the last seven years, shared his views on the current conflict in Israel and Gaza as well as telling of his personal ordeal at the hands of Islamic Jihadist kidnappers. He was kidnapped on the way to the airport on April 17 1986 and held in 13 different locations until his eventual release five years later on August 8 1991. John, 67, had only been in Beirut for a month replacing the bureau chief of a television news organisation when he was ambushed on the way to the airport to move back to London. The guests were silent as he recalled in vivid and eloquent detail how he was blindfolded and chained in a cell and how he eventually befriended fellow hostage, the fiery Belfast-born Brian Keenan. He also shared lighter moments of his 1943 day incarceration when he and Keenan followed the football World Cup in 1990 and at one stage saw the Oscars ceremony on a TV when the presenter referenced the release of Nelson Mandela and the fall of the Berlin Wall – both monumental world events they had no knowledge of. John was the latest guest of SporTedd, a not-for-profit community group, which raises funds for sport-themed projects in the Teddington area. Over 40 projects have received a total of £82.000 sinceSporTedd launched. Historically sporting stars have been the special guests including Gary Lineker, Sue Barker, Sir Andrew Strauss, Tim Henman, Jason Leonard, Seb Coe, Clive Woodward, Lawrence Dallaglio, Kenny Loga, Conor O’Shea, Tracy Edwards, Christine Ohuruogu, Mark Hunter, Roger Black, Damon Hill and Wayne Barnes. Amongst the raffle items were five copies of the book John wrote with his then girlfriend Jill Morrell, Some Other Rainbow, which he signed for the winners. He pulled out his own ticket as a winner of his own book but kindly returned it! John revealed that he was still close friends with Jill who led the headline-making campaign known at the time as Friends of John McCarthy. The special evening raised over £2000 and SporTedd will make a substantial donation to a charity called Freedom From Torture which John is a Patron of (www.freedomfromtorture.org)

The Teddington-based community group SporTedd which raises funds for local sports-themed projects welcomed a panel of well-known experts to discuss the upcoming Rugby World Cup in France. The group included former England, Harlequins and British & Irish Lions star Ugo Monye, now a rugby pundit and team captain on Question of Sport and a Teddington resident. He was joined by former All Blacks fly half, Nick Evans, now a coach at Quins, Sunday Times’ rugby writer Stephen Jones and TV presenters Jill Douglas and John Inverdale. The evening at The Wharf in Teddington was made  even more special by the unexpected attendance and support from two coaches from the Fijian team which created history by beating England at Twickenham last Saturday, Glen Jackson and Graham Dewes. During a lively Q and A session the panel gave their views on the likely finalists in the World Cup which starts a week today (September 8) and one agreed outcome was the final would be between the two teams which start the tournament – France and New Zealand. Ugo Monye was robust in his support of England who play their first match against Argentina next Saturday (September 9) and was confident they would advance to the latter stages. Raffles prizes included two nights at a Shepherd’s Hut in Dorset, a signed England rugby short, a photo montage of Jonny Wilkinson’s World Cup winning drop goal, tickets for a Champions League match, tickets for Quins v Saracens and tickets for the Lionesses’ match against Scotland. The evening raised £1963 for SporTedd. SporTedd also agreed to donate £2000 to a Fiji-based cancer charity for children which is being supported by the Fijian rugby team during their stay in Shepperton and before their Rugby World Cup kicks off against Wales next Sunday (10th September) in Bordeaux. SporTedd has raised over £70.000 to support over 40 sport-themed projects in the Borough of Richmond. If you wish to get involved or you are involved in a local sports project which would benefit from a financial leg up please contact us.

The former Middlesex and England captain Sir Andrew Strauss showed all his class as he batted away a series of tough questions at SporTedd’s latest fundraising dinner at The Wharf riverside restaurant in Teddington. Top cricket journalist James While quizzed the cricket legend, who was one of only three to win the Ashes both home and away, about his distinguished career including his sledging run-ins with the late, great Aussie spin bowler Shane Warne. Andrew also offered his candid opinion on the upcoming Ashes series as well as some insights as to who might make the final selection. He also spent 45 minutes answering questions from guests. Shortly before his departure he kindly signed a cardboard cut-out of his image which was won by Kevin Hamilton in the raffle. Amongst the guests on the night were former ECB Chief Executive Tom Harrison, who lives in Teddington and former England player Monty Panesar, who played for Twickenham CC while studying international sports journalism at St Mary’s University. The latest dinner raised over £2000 for the community group which has donated nearly £70.000 to sports-themed projects across Richmond Borough and has attracted a series of top drawer guests including Tim Henman, Damon Hill, Gary Lineker, Sue Barker and Jason Leonard. Latest grants include £1480 for goalkeeper kits for Teddington Hockey Club, a donation of £1100 was awarded to Lowther Primary School, Richmond for football equipment, a further £2000 went to Hampton Rangers Junior Football Club towards a new clubhouse, £650 to Hampton Wick Royal Cricket Club for girls’ cricket clothing,  £1788 to Heathfield Junior School for cricket helmets, bags and clothing and £1603 to Twickenham School to fund kit and equipment for various sports. If you are interested in joining SporTedd and supporting this community initiative or if you are an organisation, a Club or a school which needs financial support. please contact us. More exciting events will be announced soon.

Author, broadcaster, Question of Sport host for former tennis star Sue Barker brought the house down as the latest sporting superstar to sit in the hot seat for a SporTedd fundraiser. She told hilarious stories from her career as a young tennis player from Paignton, Devon, and her legendary coach Arthur Roberts, who insisted on never being paid and when she finally did pay him he secretly invested the money in a trust fund for her. She told of her matches with tennis greats such as Bjorn Borg, Ilie Nastase and her great friend and supporter Billie Jean King and even spoke briefly of her friendship with Cliff Richard. New SporTedd Chair Trevor Alldridge fired the questions despite Sue taunting him for trying to show her – an experienced broadcaster – how to use a microphone! Sue recalled winning the French Open in 1976 when she was just 20 years old and losing a semi-final at Wimbledon to Betty Stove when, if she had won, she would have faced Virginia Wade in the final. At one stage, she was Number 3 in the world. The evening raised nearly £4,000 with raffle prizes including tickets for England v Italy at Twickenham this weekend, a UEFA Champions League tie as well as other tickets and the now traditional cardboard cut-out of the guest which was won by Teddington resident David Gooch. Sue generously signed the cut-out with the words: “The worst prize of the evening!” Among the 100 guests at the sell-out dinner was close friend and Britain’s former number one tennis player Anne Keothavong, who is now captain of the GB women who play in the Billie Jean Cup against France in April. Sue, who happily posed for photos with delighted guests, also generously signed three copies of her recent best-selling autobiography Calling the Shots which were offered as raffle prizes too.  She will be reunited with former Question of Sport captains Matt Dawson and Phil Tufnell when she joins them on the road with a new live sports quiz called Extra Time. Trevor Alldridge also announced that Founder Chair, Stuart Higgins, who has stepped down, has agreed to be SporTedd President. He thanked the guests for their support and the event organisers who have previously secured guests including Tim Henman, Gary Lineker, Lord Coe, Sir Clive Woodward, Jason Leonard and Damon Hill.

Teddington’s community group SporTedd is delighted to announce its latest donation of over £1700 to Heathfield Junior School, Twickenham to purchase much-needed cricket equipment. The school applied for a wide range of equipment including ball feeders, feeder balls cricket nets, cricket throwers and sidekick cricket throwers to the total value of £1715. SporTedd members James Johnson and Tim Chadwick paid a visit to the school to see the equipment being used. James said: “We both felt immensely proud to see at first how our funds are being used. The kids were really enjoying themselves and it reinforces the view that our efforts, even when relatively small, compared to big charities, can really make a difference in the community.” Since launch SporTedd has donated over £50,000 to more than forty local projects. If you are involved in a local sports community project which needs a bit of financial leg please send an application. If you are interested in becoming a member of SporTedd annual subscription costs £100. Our last sell-out event at The Wharf restaurant with guest Gary Lineker raised over £4,000, and the first event of 2023 will be in February when our guest will be Sue Barker.

Great to see the equipment we bought for TAG Youth Club being put to good use! TAG Youth Club for Disabled Young People is a registered charity that provides children and young people with a safe and well equipped environment in which it delivers a programme of personal, social and educational opportunities to young people with disabilities or additional needs. TAG Youth Club, Ham Youth Centre, Ham Close, Richmond, TW10 7PL info@tagyouthclub.org www.tagyouthclub.org 

Tennis favourite Tim Henman was the special guest at SporTedd’s latest fund-raising dinner at The Wharf in Teddington and served up a tantalising menu of stories and recollections from his amazing career, which including four appearances as a semi-finalist at the Wimbledon Championships. As well as offering a great insight into the life of a top tennis player in a Q and A interview with SporTedd member Trevor Alldridge, he spent 40 minutes taking questions from the floor about his memories and his choice of greatest players as well as his support for newcomer Emma Radacanu when she took the tennis world by storm last year and won the US Open. There was also a very special moment for guest Ann Urqhuart, aged 89 who has attended over SIXTY Wimbledon tournaments and Tim spent several minutes talking to her – despite admitting Roger Federer was her favourite player. She did say she had a signed photo of Tim on her wall….next to one of Federer. Her son in law, David Hogben, also a SporTedd member, said: “Thank you SporTedd for a wonderful evening. It  made my mother-in-law’s day  and Tim was just so nice to her. He was a great guest funny, and very interesting and very generous in spending time with Ann.” The event was attended by just under 100 guests and raised just over £3000 with a raffle offering up tickets for Sir Elton John’s concert in Watford, a £250 voucher for Margaret Howell, tickets for the Premiership Rugby Final next Saturday, giant tennis balls signed by Tim Henman and even a cardboard cut-out of Tim raised another £50 and a bottle of port from the SAS.

Former Formula One racing champion Damon Hill mesmerised a full house at Teddington’s Wharf restaurant with his tales from the track at a fund-raising dinner for the community group SporTedd. He and his wife Georgie were the special guests of honour for the latest event, which helps raise money for locally sport-themed projects. Damon talked openly of his admiration for seven times World Champion Lewis Hamilton as well as his own ‘crown’ which he won in 1996. The racing driver and his wife also paid tribute to the local John Langdon Centre at Normansfield Theatre, which they actively support and has played an important part in their son Ollie’s life. Former Mail on Sunday Sports Editor Alison Kervin posed the questions as well as Damon spending more than 40 minutes taking questions from the guests, who had enjoyed a three course meal at the riverside venue. Local MP Munira Wilson and Damon’s wife Georgie helped draw the raffle where prizes included free rugby tickets for Twickenham, Chelsea tickets and a Margaret Howell voucher worth £250. The raffle raised £1550 on the evening but SporTedd also announced it had received a surprise boost to funds with a cheque for £3175 which was the result of a win on the community lottery GET LUCKY LOCAL. The restaurant had kindly asked its customers to donate £1 to their bills and the Wharf matched the amount to allow the purchase of over 1700 tickets in last week’s big draw. “We are the in the unusual but wonderful position of being able to say we’ve got money to give away,” said SporTedd Chair, Stuart Higgins. “We will welcome any applications for local sport-themed projects or ideas, where a small amount of money can make a big difference. We will try to help.” So far, since launch SporTedd has given 24 projects about £40.000 in grants ranging from the local swimming pool, cricket and rugby clubs as well as other sports kits and equipment for cash-strapped schools. Most of the grants range from between £500 and £2000. SporTedd’s next big event will also be at The Wharf restaurant on Tuesday June 7th when the guest will be TIM HENMAN.

The latest SporTedd event aimed at raising funds for local sport-themed projects in the Teddington area raised over £3000 despite a last-minute hitch. The chief guest for the evening at riverside restaurant The Wharf was due to be Gary Lineker who was, unfortunately, unfortunately struck down with COVID on the morning of the event – making him unavailable for SporTedd as well as FA Cup football commitments on TV over the weekend. However, the panic-stricken organisers agreed to push ahead with the event, informing guests that Gary would only be able to join us by zoom for an interview with Alison Kervin but had generously agreed to answer questions from guests from his sickbed. Out of the 110 expected guests only six chose not to attend and those who did had the extra surprise of sharing fantastic insights into the Six Nations rugby tournament from top England referee Wayne Barnes, who lives locally in Twickenham ad South African referee Craig Joubert, who kindly contributed too. Raffle prizes included two tickets and hospitality for Chelsea’s Champions League match against Lille later this month, a personalised Tim Henman tennis racket, two giant boxes of Walkers crisps and a full set of Masuri cricket gear. But the most sought after item was the Gary Lineker ‘substitute’ – a strangely life-like cardboard cut out of the former England striker which guest Toni Corbin paid £50 for and the happy couple left the venue arm in arm. SporTedd hopes future guests will include former F1 Champion Damon Hill and British tennis star Tim Henman.