Tennis-a-thon
Challenge yourself to play tennis for as long as you can by entering the Dementia UK Tennis-a-thon.
Michael and Steffan's story: "The Tennis-a-thon is a great way to make a difference to families facing dementia"
Michael and Steffan share why they each organised a Tenis-a-thon for Dementia UK and what happened at their events.
My local tennis club holds an annual charity tournament and we fundraise for a different cause every year. Many of the club members have loved ones with dementia, so we decided to hold a Tennis-a-thon for Dementia UK.
We promoted the event on the club’s website and social media, and we also sent some emails and WhatsApp messages.
On the day, we held a 12-hour Tennis-a-thon which included four hours of junior and adult coaching, followed by adult social tournaments. We also used the ball machine and speed gun towards the end of the event.
The atmosphere on the day was great and it was nice to see the club come together to fundraise for a fantastic cause. The weather was beautiful which also helped! We raised money by selling food and refreshments throughout the day and participants paid a fee to take part in the social tournaments. We raised £1,383 in total, which I’m really proud of.
The Tennis-a-thon is a great way to help raise the profile of your club and make a difference to families facing dementia. This was the first time I have supported Dementia UK, but I would like to take part in more fundraising events in the future.
Steffan’s story
The members of Denbigh Tennis Club feel passionately about making a difference in dementia care, so we decided to hold a Tennis-a-thon for Dementia UK. I took the lead in organising the event and liaised with the rest of the committee at the club to make arrangements.
Six members – Wayne, James, Andrew, Cathryn, Frauke and Steffan – played tennis continuously for 12 hours from 8am to 8pm. We had music playing throughout the event, and club members came and went throughout the day. Even the town mayor and local MP attended to show their support! We spoke on Radio Wales and ITV Wales news about our efforts too.
We raised money by setting up a JustGiving fundraising page so that family and friends could sponsor us. We held a cake sale and a raffle on the day and had a Dementia UK collection bucket for passers-by to donate. As well as the main event, we organised coaching, club evenings and a club social. The club raised £2,171 in total which was an amazing achievement.
What I enjoyed most about holding the Tennis-a-thon was completing it and seeing the amount we raised. I also enjoyed taking part with other members of the club and seeing everyone get involved in the occasion.
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