Wimbledon triumph at Wembley: Joyous promotion for the Dons
Plus: How Wimbledon tennis changed Nathan Maraj's life
Good morning Wimblers — I hope that everyone is having a lovely week so far.
This week’s edition is jam-packed with goodies. We’ve got your local news snippets. We’ve got a shocking property of the week (I know I say that every time, but this week it’s undoubtedly true). And, as always, we’ve got some excellent recommendations for the week ahead, with everything from a mezcal tasting to a new performance of Chicago.
We’ve also got a rather special interview with local resident Nathan Maraj. Nathan is part of the Work at Wimbledon programme at the Championships, which helps those from disenfranchised backgrounds find roles at the annual tournament. Nathan’s story is a fascinating one, so please do give it a read.
As always, do get in touch with ideas, scoops or just to say hello: zak@thewimble.com. Happy reading!
News snippets 🗞
🏆 AFC Wimbledon have been promoted to League One following their historic win against Walsall on Monday. It was a great game at Wembley, with a fantastic goal from Myles Hippolyte at the end of the first half, which secured victory for the Dons. Find a rundown of the game here, and read our interview with Craig Cope — AFC Wimbledon’s Director of Football — here.
🩺 Speaking of the Dons, AFC Wimbledon midfielder Sam Hutchinson recently revealed that he suffered a heart attack during their game against Grimsby Town. Despite occurring in the sixth minute of the game, remarkably Hutchinson carried on playing — and, in the 53rd minute, he even scored the winning goal to secure Wimbledon’s place in the play-offs. Read more about Sam and his recovery here.
🖌 The Wimbledon Art Fair is back this November. Held at Wimbledon Art Studios, the free event is your chance to peek behind the scenes and witness the processes of the painters, ceramicists, printmakers and textile artists. Visitors will also be able to purchase the art on display. Check out more info here.
🧠 Last week was Dementia Action Week, and Merton council marked the occasion by raising awareness of the support available for the almost 2,000 people living with the disease in our borough, along with the resources at hand for their families. These include the Merton Memory Hub, which has a team of dementia advisors who can provide tailored information and assistance to allow those living with dementia to maintain their independence, avoid crises and enable loved ones and carers to manage the changes as the condition progresses. There is also the Eastway Day Centre in Morden, which provides opportunities for those with advanced dementia to socialise. Click here to find out more about the dementia-related services Merton provides.
Property of the week 🏡
I don’t know what to say anymore, other than that these properties are getting out of hand. This one — a seven-bedroom, eight-bathroom detached mini-palace overlooking the common — is currently the most expensive Wimbledon property on Rightmove. Who is buying these houses? And what do you even do with all the space? I tried looking at the floorplan, but got lost somewhere along the lower ground floor and had to take a breather — I’d probably end up confining myself to one room if I lived in a house this big. Is this the nicest property we’ve featured? Probably. Does the £13.9m price tag shock me? Not anymore. This is Wimbledon, after all. Check out more photos at the listing on Rightmove.
‘Monday was probably the most liberated football match I’ve been to’: A quick chat with AFC Wimbledon co-founder Marc Jones 🔵🟡
The Wimble: How are you feeling after Monday’s game, Marc? And what does it mean for the club?
Marc Jones: Joyous. I was one of the four original founders of the club in 2002. I went to every training session; I even drew the crest outside of the stadium. So I’ve been on this journey from the beginning. Monday might not have been as important a game as our promotion to league football back in 2011, but it was the most liberated football match I’ve been to watch. It was all about whether we were going to enjoy the football that we played, and we did.
We’ve come a long way since 2002. One moment that will stay with me forever is turning around on Monday at Wembley Stadium and seeing the top tier completely full of fans — seeing that many people turning out to support us. And the further away I get from Monday, the more joyous I realise it was.
The club is about the football, and of course we always want to win. But there’s also a local community aspect, and I’m really proud of that. Monday was an incredible day, but I’m proud of what we achieve all year round. I love what we stand for in the community. When we started this club, I kept having this dream. In it, I would be having a conversation with somebody and they would say: “My grandad loves Wimbledon.”
And I would ask, “How long has he been a fan?”
And then they would say, “Oh, he doesn’t like football, he just loves AFC Wimbledon.”
I think that’s what the club is really all about. Everyone is welcome here. You put your arms around us and we’ll put our arms around you.
The Wimble’s to-do list 🎭
💃 Chicago at the New Wimbledon Theatre: The “sexiest musical ever” (according to the Metro) is coming to town. And while I’m not sure if it’s the sexiest musical ever, it’s got to be a whole lot sexier than Cats. If you haven’t seen or heard of Chicago before, it’s a story about Roxie, a housewife and nightclub dancer, who murders her on-the-side lover. There’s a lot more to the story than that, but I won’t spoil it. Grab your tickets here.
Where: New Wimbledon Theatre
When: Monday 9 June — Saturday 14 June
🖌 Art exhibition: Hannah Ivory Baker: Esteemed London-based artist Hannah Ivory Baker is showcasing some of her latest work in the coming weeks. Baker is famous for her semi-abstract landscapes and seascapes, drawing inspiration from the raw and unpredictable nature of the natural world. There will be a private showing on Sunday 1 June from 1–4pm. RSVP here if you’d like to attend.
Where: Ad Lib Gallery, Wimbledon Village
When: Thursday 29 May — Sunday 15 June (see website for opening times)
🇲🇽 Lost Explorer barrel-top tasting: The first time I tried mezcal, I thought the worm in the bottle was made of gelatin. You can imagine my shock when I found out that it was a real larva from a moth. Anyway, don’t let that put you off — mezcal is delicious, and I don’t think Lost Explorer even sells mezcal with worms inside. (And even if they do, it’s worth trying new things!) This event is free and is your chance to sample some award-winning mezcal for yourself.
Where: Amathus, Wimbledon Village
When: Friday 30 May, 3—6pm
🐝 Wimbledon Common Nature Club: Bees: Who doesn’t love bees? They’re adorable (unlike their pesky cousin, the wasp), and they’re one of the most important animals on this planet when it comes to maintaining the critical health of our ecosystems. We should celebrate them whenever we can, and this Sunday, the Wimbledon Common Nature Club is doing just that. Children ages 6—12 will get the chance to explore the life of the honeybee and make their very own wax candles. The Nature Club is entirely free, though donations are always welcome.
Where: Information Centre, Windmill Road, Wimbledon Common
When: Sunday 1 June, 10am—12pm
🍻 Pub quiz at the Dog & Fox: This needs no introduction. As always, grab your smartest friends, or your friends who are the best at guessing, and head up to the pub for a competitive quiz.
Where: The Dog & Fox
When: Wednesday 4 June, 6—8pm
☕️ Ladies Before Lunch: The monthly get together is back. Head down to the Guild Lounge next Tuesday to meet with friends or make new ones. The activity is free and refreshments are available for a small charge. To book your spot, go to the website and follow the instructions.
Where: Guild Lounge, Wimbledon Guild, Worple Road
When: Tuesday 3 June, 10am — 12pm
‘It was the first time anyone gave me a chance since losing my vision’: How working at The Championships changed Nathan Maraj’s life 🎾
Four years ago, the Wimbledon Foundation launched their Work at Wimbledon initiative, designed to help those from disadvantaged backgrounds in Merton and Wandsworth access roles at the Championships. This year has seen the scheme take on 143 employees, picked from 16 charities, which you can read more about here.
Not all of these employees are new to the tournament — this year will be Nathan Maraj’s third time working there. Nathan began to lose his vision in his mid-20s from glaucoma and other sight-related complications. Now 45 years old, finding work has been incredibly hard. But, thanks to MertonVision and the Wimbledon Foundation, Nathan has been able to find employment throughout the Championships, where he works at the Foundation’s kiosk, helping guests and handing out activity booklets. Last week, I had the privilege of hearing his story firsthand.
The Wimble: If it’s ok with you Nathan, could you take me back to those initial years when you began to lose your sight?
Nathan Maraj: It was gradual. It was throughout my 20s, and they didn’t really test for glaucoma back then — not at that age. It started in my right eye. When that went black, I thought I would be able to get by with my left. But then the left eye started to become affected in my 30s. I imagined I’d have at least another 20 years of sight in my left eye. I was wrong.
Before losing my sight, I was always out and about. I loved motorcycles. I worked different jobs. But little by little through the struggles, you begin to isolate yourself from the world. No one is offering you the jobs they used to. And there was a lot of floating around and not knowing what to do before I was registered as a person with severe sight impairment (SSI).
And so how did the opportunity with the Work at Wimbledon programme arise?
Well, that was with MertonVision. I’ve been registered with them for about seven or eight years now, but at the beginning I didn’t love going there because there weren’t loads of opportunities. There still aren’t enough opportunities out there for people like myself.
Wimbledon was the first time that anyone ever gave me a chance since losing my vision. People see a white stick, and they assume I can’t do anything at all. It’s always a question of doubt. And when you’ve been out of work for so long, you’re beaten down. You fall out of life. But all I needed was a chance, and working at the Championships has really inspired me to keep going and search for even more.
What’s it like to work at The Championships?
One thing that stands out is everyone’s enthusiasm. Chat to anyone, and they’re just so happy to be there. It’s nice to be part of such an energetic team. I think all of the staff on the Work at Wimbledon programme are inspiring. Hearing about the staff in their 20s going off to university or on their gap years to explore the world has been a huge injection of positivity in my life. Hearing other people’s struggles, not just to do with sight loss, is really empowering. It makes me feel like I’m part of something that’s bigger than myself.
It’s also a major marker for me. I look forward to it every year, and it’s given me the confidence to do more with my life. I even got out of the country for the first time and took my mother, who has Alzheimer’s, to Portugal. It just gives me that boost in the summer to carry on through the winter, and it offers me a routine.
The second year that I worked at the Championships was brilliant. I walked in and people were saying hello to me. I was like, “You actually remember me?” It’s so nice for us returners because we get to chat about all of the things we’ve done over the past year. It’s definitely changed my outlook on life. You know, I felt sort of excluded from life through blindness before.
Being born and raised in the area, do you feel as if you have a different relationship with the tennis — especially now that you work there?
I always walked past the tennis as a kid, but we never really went in. I’d always wanted to be a ball boy, but that sort of thing passed us over in my day. Now that I work at Wimbledon, I have this purpose to push through the huge crowds and get there. You know, the streets are a bit like Oxford Street during the competition — and that can be difficult to navigate. But being a part of it has given me this huge boost to get through and do my job, and do it well.
If you had any parting message, what would it be?
I try to think of a purpose for each year. For this year, it’s about being given a chance, like the Wimbledon Foundation gave me a chance. It doesn’t matter if I’m blind or not; I will take any opportunity with both hands. People might think, “How can a blind man do this?” But I will do it, and I will get there, and I will fulfil that role to the very best of my ability.
I hope you enjoyed reading Nathan’s powerful story. You can check out more of the work that the Wimbledon Foundation does here.
Question of the week 🔍
Last week, I asked you which of these celebrities have not performed at the New Wimbledon Theatre: Jerry Springer, Ross Kemp, Pamela Anderson, Priscilla Presley and Gok Wan. The answer, which might shock you: Gok Wan.
Q: In what year did Wimbledon cease to be its own borough and join the London Borough of Merton?
You’re up to date 👋
Thank you for reading this week’s edition. I hope you found our feature on the Work at Wimbledon programme interesting. Nathan’s story is an incredible one, and I’m very happy that we got to share it here. Please do get in touch if you have any ideas or suggestions: zak@thewimble.com. Other than that, have a great week, and we’ll catch you next time.
What a wonderful article about Nathan, feeling a little tearful with my morning coffee. He is such an inspiration, well done to MertonVision.