A smash hit: First GIVE Northants Charity Padel Cup serves up £2,639.95 for local charities
Business players, many of them first-timers, help a volunteer-run charity raise thousands for grassroots causes across Northamptonshire.
The first ever GIVE Northants Charity Padel Cup has raised £2,639.95 for small local charities. Around 40 players from businesses across the county took to the courts at Padel Social House in Brackmills, Northampton, on Thursday 8 October.
Many of the players had never played padel before. By the end of the afternoon the courts were full of long rallies, loud cheering and some very competitive finals. Pairs played fast, timed group matches before moving into Gold, Silver and Bronze knockout rounds, and there was a Plate competition so every team had something to play for. Between matches, players enjoyed lunch, music, networking and a raffle packed with prizes from local businesses.
GIVE Northants is run entirely by volunteers, so every penny raised will go straight to grassroots charities in Northamptonshire.
And the winners are…
Gold Cup: Simon Gallo and Emma Chuw
Silver Cup: Neil Wattam and Ben Toms
Bronze Cup: Tony and Barry Thomas
From asking AI to a sell-out afternoon
None of the organising team had run a padel tournament before. Trustee and event organiser Tracy Whittaker-Smith MBE admits she started out asking AI how to do it. Padel Social House then got fully behind the event, and its CEO and Co-Founder Edward Dowdall introduced the team to Jo Senders from The Padel Referee. Jo ran the tournament on the day and kept everything moving smoothly from the first serve to the finals.
Kingsley Roofing & Solar was the first sponsor on board, taking the Gold Cup. That early backing gave the team the confidence to approach others, and ACL Group Ltd (Silver Cup) and NTGA (Bronze Cup) soon followed. Businesses including Kilby Fox Accountants, Advantage Sports Group, WKM Wealth, Durasteel Roofing, Safeline, Collingtree Cool and Principal Business Finance entered teams.
The raffle was one of the highlights of the day, thanks to fellow trustee Martin Crooke of Kilby Fox, who gathered prizes from across the county. St Gyles donated a £200 jewellery voucher as first prize. Other prizes came from Althorp, Boden, The Copper Kitchen, Pinnacle Climbing Centre, Northampton & Lamport Railway, artist Steve Abbott, Pro Elegance Beauty, Bartella’s and The Hub.
Where the money goes
GIVE Northants is a small charity with one focus: supporting other small charities. It raises money from local businesses and individuals and awards grants of up to £2,000 to grassroots groups working on food insecurity, mental health, crisis support and respite for carers. Groups it has supported before include Step Forward with Lewis CIC, KidsAid, Spencer Contact, Crusader Community Boating and The Spring Charity.
Tracy Whittaker-Smith MBE, GIVE Northants trustee and event organiser, said: “When we started planning this, I was literally asking AI how to run a padel tournament! To go from that to 40 people playing, laughing and raising over £2,600 for local charities is just brilliant. A massive thank you to Edward and the team at Padel Social House, to Jo at The Padel Referee for running the tournament so brilliantly, to Paul, Craig and Ross for sponsoring the cups, to Martin for the amazing raffle, and to everyone who played or donated a prize.”
Sam Sayer, Chair of GIVE Northants, said: “It was an absolutely brilliant afternoon. Many of us were first-timers, and now we’ve caught the padel bug, so we’ll definitely be back. I’m chuffed I even managed to steal a point from the eventual winners! It was such great fun, and to raise this much for small charities across the county makes it even better. Thank you to everyone who sponsored, donated, played or came along to support.”
Jo Senders, The Padel Referee, said: “I had a fantastic time organising and running the GIVE Northants Padel Cup. Seeing players come together for some great competition, all while raising vital support and awareness for local initiatives across Northamptonshire, made it an incredible event to be a part of. The energy on and off the court was electric from start to finish!”
Back on court in 2027
After such a strong first year, GIVE Northants plans to make the Charity Padel Cup a regular event and is already looking at how to build on this year’s success. A date will be announced soon. Businesses interested in entering a team, sponsoring or donating a prize can register their interest through givenorthants.org.uk.