Simona Halep and Vasek Pospisil head for the hills to support charity day

Canadian tennis player Vasek Pospisil, charity chair of Friends of Sussex Hospices Kathy Gore OBE and world no.2 Simona Halep - picture: www.ebourneimages.com

Halep, the French Open finalist and Popisil, who reached the quarter final of Wimbledon in 2015, found a nice place for a spot of freindly tennis on the Eastbourne Downs before the serious action starts on Friday, June 23.

On Saturday at the Aegon International with £5 from every adult ticket going to the tournament’s official charity partner, Friends of Sussex Hospices (FSH).‬

Run entirely by volunteers, FSH raises funds to support the running costs of the twelve hospice care providers that serve the adults and children of Sussex, and promotes awareness of the invaluable services provided by these hospices to the Sussex community.

Charity Day will see a host of fundraising and awareness activities at Devonshire Park. Players from both the men’s and women’s draws will be visiting the FSH stand to meet fans, sign autographs and assist patrons looking to make a donation.

If you’re inspired by the men’s and women’s qualifying action happening out on court, the FSH stand will be selling EzeeBats - super lightweight bats perfect for teaching racket skills to the court sports champions of the future – with 50 per cent of the proceeds from every £5 set going to FSH. And, if you’re itching to put some of what you’ve seen on court into practice, FSH also has an “Eye Coach” tennis simulator on their stand so you can start hitting some balls immediately.

Tennis fans will also have the opportunity to register for ‘Walk the Hospice Trail,’ a fundraiser that will see sponsored teams walk one of 26 routes that connect Sussex’s 12 Hospices on September 23 this year.

Charity Chair, Kathy Gore OBE, said FSH is delighted to be the Aegon International’s chosen charity for the second-consecutive year. “Thanks to the generosity of the Lawn Tennis Association Charity Day tennis fans can make a donation to the important work performed by our hospices just by attending the tournament – at no additional cost to themselves,” she said.

Tournament Director Gavin Fletcher said the tournament is looking forward to having FSH on board as charity partner again in 2017. “The charity does amazing work locally and we’re looking forward to helping Kathy and her team spread awareness and raise valuable funds during the tournament,” he said. If you can’t make it along to Charity Day at the Aegon International, The charity’s stand will be at the trade village every day of the Aegon International so there’s plenty of opportunity to you can stop by, learn more about the work of Sussex hospices and FSH, and make a donation to this worthy cause.