A 100-year-old actress has declared she will chain herself to a tree to prevent the All England Lawn Tennis Club's controversial £200million expansion of Wimbledon.
Thelma Ruby, who turned 100 in March, lives in a penthouse flat overlooking the tennis grounds and faces losing her cherished view if the development proceeds.
The expansion plans, approved by the Greater London Authority in September 2024, would see 39 new tennis courts and an 8,000-seat stadium built on Wimbledon Park.
The development would also involve cutting down 800 trees, prompting fierce opposition from local residents.
A 100-year-old actress has declared she will chain herself to a tree to prevent the All England Lawn Tennis Club's controversial £200million expansion of Wimbledon
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"I've been a law-abiding citizen for 100 years, and I would break that - anything to stop this from going through," Ruby told talkSPORT.
Ruby also branded the plans 'evil' and said that it would 'ruin her life' if they went ahead.
"They're not even needed, there's no reason why they can't continue being played over there," she said.
"And if this terrible evil plan goes ahead, instead of what now keeps me going, it fills my day with joy, looking out at my view, it gives me the spirit to keep going.
British actress Thelma Ruby lives near the Wimbledon grounds and is worried about her brilliant view being impacted by plans
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"Instead of that, I'm going to hear hundreds of trees being cut down, the whole grass being cut up, and polluting lorries passing by a window every 10 minutes.
"I mean it when I say I don't want to carry on living if that's what I have to if that's what I have to endure.
"I cannot imagine that at every moment that this is put up, every moment that I can still look at this through my window, I am blessed and I'm still enjoying life, and I won't when this happens."
The All England Lawn Tennis Club purchased the lease of Wimbledon Park Golf Club for £65million in 2018, with members including Piers Morgan, Ant and Dec each receiving £85,000 in compensation.
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The projected scheme would create 39 new tennis courts and an 8,000-seat stadium to host qualifying matches, which are currently held at Roehampton's Community Sports Centre.
The development would increase Wimbledon's capacity from 42,000 to 50,000 spectators, with completion expected in the early 2030s.
Environmental concerns centre on the planned removal of 800 trees from the site.
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Campaign group Save Wimbledon Park has raised £200,000 to fund a judicial review challenging the development on environmental grounds.
The case will be heard in the High Court during Wimbledon's second week, with Ruby holding tickets for the first day of the two-day hearing, though she won't be able to attend.
"I love tennis, that's what's so awful. I love watching tennis," Ruby said, expressing her conflicted feelings about the sport she enjoys potentially destroying her local area.
Thelma Ruby is willing to be arrested as she hit out at plans for Wimbledon
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Despite All England Club chairwoman Debbie Jevans's confidence in a positive outcome, Ruby remains determined to take direct action if necessary.
"I said I would chain myself to a tree so I could save one of the 800 trees, just as it was done in the past, I'd have to go on to watch their private property, so I might get arrested," she said.
"It would scare me, but I've got to do anything I can, anything, anything on earth I can do to stop this from going through."
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