The Burgess Park Tennis Café is changing hands later this month after staff raised £20,000 for local children, writes Kit Heren…
The café was launched by local restaurant Louie Louie in July last year on a profit-share model with local group Burgess Park Tennis Club to earn more money during the pandemic and save the jobs of its staff.
Manager Chris Greenwood said Louie Louie was now handing the Tennis Café over to the tennis club and their associated charity Burgess Sports on April 18.
Some £20,000 earned at the café during the pandemic will go towards free tennis lessons for local children, Greenwood said.
“In some ways it’s a shame to leave because we really enjoyed being a resource for the local community,” he told the News. “But we are glad that people in the area will still be able to enjoy the café in future.”
The Tennis Café is found towards the north-west corner of Burgess Park and is open from 8am-6pm. Louie
Louie is on the corner of Walworth Road and Liverpool Grove. Last year the café raised thousands of pounds that went towards meals for people in need during the first lockdown.