EASTBOURNE, June 23, 2018 (Press Release)

World No.12 and 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko got her walking shoes on and stepped out on the Sussex Hospices Trail on Eastbourne Promenade on Saturday – Charity Day at the Nature Valley International – in support of Friends of Sussex Hospices (FSH), the tournament’s official charity partner.

The Nature Valley International will donate £5 from every adult ticket to FSH on charity day. Fans attending the tournament will also have the opportunity to enter a prize draw, run throughout the course of the nine-day event, for the chance to win tickets to the 2019 finals, and a behind the scenes tour and meet and greet with the 2019 Nature Valley International finalists.

A charity run entirely by volunteers, FSH has supported hospices care providers that look after people across East and West Sussex, and Brighton and Hove hospices, for more than two decades, distributing more than £2-million to support all 12 hospices in the region. FSH raises awareness of the work of these local hospices, and encourages people to support them with their own fundraising.

This is the third year that Friends of Sussex Hospices has been the chosen charity partner of the Nature Valley International, and the charity has raised £19, 000 through its association with the Nature Valley International over the past two years. As well as promoting specific fundraising events, FSH has used its standin the tournament’s on-site trade villageto raise awareness of hospice care to the tournament’s 47,000 visitors.

“Many people think hospices are paid for by the NHS but in fact Sussex hospices receive only about a fifth of their funding from Government, and some get much less than that,” said charity Chair Kathy Gore, OBE DL. “They rely on money raised voluntarily more than ever in these times of austerity.

“Because Friends of Sussex Hospices has no paid staff, none of the money we raise goes on salaries. This maximises the amount we are able to give towards the substantial running costs of our hospices,” she said.

One of two WTA Premier level grass court events, and one of two ATP tournaments, played in the lead-up to Wimbledon, the Nature Valley International features Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Justine Henin, and Kim Clijsters among its former women’s singles champions, and Novak Djokovic, Feliciano Lopez and Andy Roddick among its former men’s singles champions.

There are a limited number of tickets available for the 2018 Nature Valley International – patrons without a ticket who wish to attend, please contact the box office on 0844 5813015* before making a journey to Devonshire Park, Eastbourne.

Those who don’t manage to get a ticket to this year’s tournament can still watch all the WTA action on the BBC and Eurosport, and the AT  action on Amazon Prime.

Tickets for the Nature Valley International 2019 will go on general sale on Mon 25th June 2018.