Young's Back "Wimbledon Way" Project

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Walkway Will Guide Olympic Visitors

The Wimbledon Way, a designated walkway linking Wimbledon town centre to the Village and the All England Lawn Tennis Club, will be backed by Young's brewery.

The funding support for the project, which is geared around the Olympics, was unveiled at a breakfast meeting of business leaders in Wimbledon today (May 18).

"The Wimbledon Way" will be a marked walkway from Wimbledon station to the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), where the 2012 Tennis events will take place.

Not only will the route - right out of the station, up Wimbledon Hill Road, to the Village, right into Church Road and down to The AELTC - serve as the recommended route for Olympic spectators, but organisers hope it will serve as a permanent legacy.

The project has been developed by the Wimbledon Going for Gold campaign, a partnership between Merton Chamber of Commerce, local businesses and Merton Borough Council.

Diana Sterck (left), Chief Executive of Merton Chamber of Commerce, told today's meeting at the AELTC that the brewery were supporting the project - with three Young's pubs on the route: The Alexandra, the Dog and Fox and the Fire Stables.

Plans have been ongoing for some time, and the Wimbledon Society and Wimbledon Film are now working with organisers on the content of the route. They will also be making a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund, she said.

She said: "With the commitment from Young's and that from both the Wimbledon Society and Wimbledon Film to work with us on content, as well as other sponsors and supporters we are currently in negotiation with I know we can establish The Wimbledon Way as a permanent feature in SW19 and achieve the Olympic legacy for Wimbledon and South West London that we originally aspired to three years ago."

Other speakers at the business breakfast, organised by Merton Chamber of Commerce, included Merton council leader Stephen Alambritis; Linda Taylor, Chair of Go South Go; Richard Sumray, Chair of the London 2012 forum for LOCOG; paralympic gold medal winner Giles Long; Ian Ritchie, Chief Executive of the AELTC; Simon Foulkes, director of locally-based mascot-making company, Rainbow Productions.

What do you think about the plans? Will the Olympics be good for Wimbledon? Why not comment on our forum?

May 18, 2011