We are running the Great Birmingham 10K in memory of a very special person, former British No.1 tennis player, Elena Baltacha. Elena Baltacha or 'Bally' as friends/family/supporters remember her, sadly passed away of Liver Cancer on Sunday 4th May 2014 at just 30 years old. 

When Bally retired from tennis, she had one very clear goal, to give more children, from all backgrounds, the opportunity to learn to play tennis. She created the Elena Baltacha Academy of Tennis (E-BAT).  EBAT's mission is to promote tennis in the deprived areas of Ipswich as well as the more affluent areas to give every child an opportunity to play. 

We would love to continue Bally's legacy, and raise as much money as possible for the Elena Baltacha Foundation.

We both had the pleasure of meeting Bally several times and were lucky enough to get to know the kind-hearted person that she was on and off the court. We were lucky enough to get to watch and support Bally at Wimbledon over the years and a very special memory of ours was getting to see her win her first round at the London 2012 Olympic Games. After winning the match, Bally gave us her Team GB sweatband and even quoted 'Don't sell it on Ebay haha :)'. 

Thank you for reading and taking the time to donate. Your money will make a real difference!

Jack and Dean x