On 4th December, the Royal Albert Hall will be hosting a very special fundraising evening – The Grand Opening of the Statoil Tennis Masters, in support of the charity Best Beginnings. Tennis legends Tim Henman, Pat Rafter, Greg Rusedski, Mark Philippoussis and Mansour Bahrami will participate in this special charity event, all playing in either singles or doubles matches.
Best Beginnings is a small national charity that aims to give every baby in the UK a better, healthier start in life, and to change the inequality that exists for babies born in different parts of the UK. For example, a baby born in Harrow is one and a half times more likely to die before the age of one than a baby born in Kensington and Chelsea, or two and a half times more likely to die before the age of one than a baby born in Bromley. A baby born in Bradford is six times more likely to die before the age of one than a baby born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. The charity provides families with information and support to help them improve their child’s health, wellbeing and future life chances. They also work with health professionals, supporting their work with disadvantaged parents and improving the quality of services available to all families in the UK.
Alison Baum, Best Beginnings CEO said:
“Best Beginnings is thrilled to have been chosen as this year’s charity for the Statoil Masters Tennis. The money and profile raised on the night will help us to support more families across the UK and help them give their babies the best possible start.”
Four-time Wimbledon semi-finalist and former world number four, Tim Henman – who will be playing on the night – said:
“I’m thrilled to be playing at the Royal Albert Hall again with my old rivals and to support Best Beginnings – as a father of three I know how important it is to give children the best start in life possible.”
The evening is the start of the Statoil Masters Tennis tournament, one of the ATP Champions Tour events which sees former world number ones, Grand Slam singles finalists and Davis Cup winners participate. These events are owned and operated by the global sports, fashion and media company IMG; Managing Director of IMG Sponsorship Charlie Grave said:
“We are delighted to announce Best Beginnings as our charity for 2013, and to stage an opening night with so many big tennis names. Rafter, Henman, Rusedski, Philippoussis and Bahrami are hugely popular, and their presence will help us to raise money for a very important cause.”
A portion of ticket sales from the tournament will also be going to Best Beginnings.
VIP packages for The Grand Opening include a champagne reception that will be attended by tennis legends and celebrities, as well as a gourmet dinner and the two matches that will take place that evening. These can be booked by calling IMG on 020 8233 5854 (please quote Best Beginnings).
Tickets for the matches only cost from £12.50 to £99.50 – you can book these by calling the Royal Albert Hall box office on 020 7070 4404 (quote code 13890 to donate to Best Beginnings) or by booking online at www.royalalberthall.com.
More details on the The Grand Opening evening can be found at www.statoilmasterstennis.com/BestBeginnings.html.
The Grand Opening of The Statoil Tennis Masters
4th December 2013
Royal Albert Hall
Kensington Gore,
SW7 2AP