New padel club in Slough to host charity tournament in aid of Ukraine

A charity padel tournament for British Ukrainian Aid will see players from across the region descend on Slough next week. 

Margaryta Logvinova, 30, who was forced to leave her homeland because of the war is hoping to raise at least £5,000 to fund vital medical equipment at The Padel Hub event.

She described organising the event as an ‘inner calling’ to continue supporting her fellow Ukrainians who remain in the country.

Margaryta, a former professional badminton and squash player, said: “I felt a deep-seated desire to contribute to Ukraine by showcasing my strengths and applying my skillset. This inner calling led me to the decision to organise a padel tournament.

“We are striving to raise funds to send a dialysis machine and a water purification to Kyiv which has been requested by a military hospital.

"There are many other items required such as stretchers, a defibrillator, an ICU ventilator, an ECG machine, a medical aspirator, a blood pressure monitoring device among many items. My goal is to raise more than £5,000 for charity.”

Margaryta started playing padel before the invasion of Ukraine and explained how the sport has been a major motivator since leaving.

"When the war began, circumstances forced me to leave Ukraine. Padel has served not only as a means of physical engagement but also as a source of mental resilience to navigate the storm of emotions," she said.

Charity tournament, 'Play Padel for Ukraine' takes place on November 11, and will feature mixed, men’s and women’s categories of 12 teams each.

It will also feature an exhibition match featuring five of the UK top men’s players before the prize ceremony and ‘after party’.

The fundraising efforts will be supported by former Chelsea and Ukraine striker Andrey Shevchenko and men’s world No 1 padel professional Ale Galan, who have both provided autographed items.

An auction and raffle to win padel equipment and free padel coaching will also feature on the day. 

The tournament is supported by the Padel Federation of Ukraine, and is also being backed by Adidas, DropShot, Padel Corner and The Padel Hub.

Margaryta previously raised £5,500 for British Ukrainian Aid and actively supported the government-led "Ukrainian Books for Ukrainian Children" project, an initiative aimed at providing children abroad with Ukrainian literature.

She has also assisted in supplying food and medication to healthcare institutions in Ukraine and to the National Guard of Ukraine.

Margaryta, for whom padel has been pivotal while in London, added: “I extend my gratitude to the Padel Federation of Ukraine for their assistance in finding the location of a club in London and enabling me to continue my involvement in the sport. 

"They have also been instrumental in involving me in various other projects, tournaments, exhibitions, courses, and padel events, further enhancing my passion for the sport.”

For more details go to @padel_for_ukraine on Instagram.