Chatteris tennis club spend the day in London with former GB stars in a ’24 hour Tennisathon’ raising over £12,500

A team of eight players from the Chatteris St Peter’s Tennis Club took part in a sponsored 24 hour ‘Tennisathon’ at the GB National Tennis Centre last Saturday (February 17).

The team were one of only eight clubs invited from over 4,000 nationally to participate.

They represented all ages and abilities, from Lucy Thompson aged 11 to Judith Grounds, one of several members at the Club still playing each week in their 70’s.

Supported by match funding from Cambs LTA, the club is currently seeking to raise £25,000 to convert its seasonal grass courts to hardcourts for usage all year round.

The event was organised by Bright Ideas, a charity set up and run by former GB Davis Cup Tennis Player, Danny Sapsford, to assist clubs seeking to raise funds to enhance the facilities and opportunities for their local communities.

Each member of the team, Lucy Thompson, Simon Grainger, Shona Kent, Anthony Finch, Angela Whitehead, John Freeman, Andrew Fox and Judith Grounds were challenged to raise £1,000 each.

Every member smashed their targets, raising over £12,500 all together, which is a big step on their way to £25,000.

A spokesman said: “We had a great day over the weekend and are now really close to securing the funding to make the court improvements.”

For more information, visit: www.chatteristennis.com or contact Shona Kent 01354 655363/ Karen Barwell 01354 695014.