A keen tennis player is hoping to capture youngsters’ imaginations by bringing sport, art and science together as part of an innovative arts event at Teddington Tennis Club.

But for Stuart Simler, 38, of Railway Road, the tennis and art related activities he has planned for Saturday, October 22, are not just designed to ensure visitors a day of fun but are about educating visitors too.

He said: “I specialise in cross-curricular learning and wanted to do something at my local tennis club which has a bit of sport and art and healthy managed eating combined.

“For example one activity involves covering a tennis court in paper, which we are calling a history of tennis, to encourage visitors to take to the courts.

“Under the guidance of one of the artists visitors will have a live match with [paint on their shoes to leave] footprints [which] means they can get involved with a visual outcome.”

The father-of-two, who has been a member of Teddington Tennis Club since he was 14-years-old, said he organised the club’s Big Draw event, which is tied to the national campaign for drawing, because he was excited about sharing his joint passions for sport and art.

He said: “Art can be for everyone.

“And this is about showing how you can quite easily, through fun activities, also link in some education, science and sport.”

Activities on the day will include a famous players’ workshop where visitors create drawings on tracing paper of players in action, before overlaying their work onto a large scale outline of a famous player. Alongside this there will also be an introduction to the science behind the art with information on how it can enhance learning.

There will also be a history of tennis activity, with the chance to create a giant map of footprints through playing a game of tennis with paint on your shoes, along with a drawing in motion activity where visitors can add their mark to a 10 metre long artwork.

Teddington Tennis Club’s Big Draw event is free and will be open from 10am to 4pm.