The Championships, Wimbledon has drawn to a close for another year, and what a tournament it was!
New champions have been crowned - but what happens when the fans leave the gates for the last time, and everything has been packed away?
Tennis balls
There are approximately 54,250 balls used throughout the duration of Wimbledon. All unsold or unused tennis balls are donated or recycled in the weeks and months after Wimbledon has taken place. Previously, some of the balls have been donated to the UK Wildlife Trust who cut them up and used them to make homes for harvest mice!
Our hospitality facilities
In the days after The Championships draw to a close, the structures of our hospitality facilities are deconstructed. The Lawn, Treehouse and Rosewater Pavilion are temporary structures and do not exist in their locations for the tournament all year round. There is a great amount of work to take everything down, unwire electrics, décor, furniture, appliances, and everything in between.
All of the uniforms, furniture and décor are packed up and sent to storage to re-use at next year’s tournament.
The flowers
Our hospitality spaces are decorated ever so beautifully with hundreds of bright and blooming flowers and plants supplied by the talented florists at Lavender Green, bringing the space to life. But as we all know, flowers don’t always last a long duration of time and at Wimbledon, we have to refresh the flowers several times to ensure they are looking their very best for our guests. While the normal process once flowers start to come to the end of their life would usually be to dispose of them, we have worked to ensure their life is extended. Lavender Green donate the flowers that are replaced to local community organisations, charities and schools.
The nets
After The Championships, the Wimbledon Foundation donates around 48 nets to tennis courts in Merton and Wandsworth to allow more people in local communities to play tennis and play with good quality equipment.
The Queue
Any items that have been left by people queuing overnight for tickets are donated to the YMCA Wimbledon. There are approximately 300 items donated every year, these items can include tents, airbeds, chairs, glasses, and anything else that can be useful to the charity.
And on to next year!
Preparations for next year’s Championships begin pretty soon after the tournament has taken place - as an event on such a grand scale, it takes a lot of organising! Our heads have turned to next year's Championships already - find out more about our packages right HERE!
