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A pair of tennis rackets propped against a tennis net

Tennis-a-thon

Grab your racket and join us on for a Tennis-a-thon this July to raise money for families affected by dementia

    Our Tennis-a-thon registrations are closed and we hope to bring it back for 2025. Should you wish to take on your own Tennis-a-thon for Dementia UK, please let us know via our fundraising form.

    Here are a few points to get you started:

    Game – it’s your challenge, your way. You decide what the Tennis-a-thon means to you. You could take on a 24-hour tournament, ask friends to pay to play, or challenge each other to smash the fastest serve.

    Set – the date and location. Take over your tennis club, book a court or gather in your back garden and rally your friends and club members for your chosen date.

    Match – the ball is in your court! Sign up today and get ready to serve.

    Every point you score and penny you raise will help our Admiral Nurses offer a lifeline to more families facing dementia.

    Ready to sign up?

    1. Register as an individual or on behalf of a club.
    2. Set up your online fundraising page on JustGiving, or if you’re fundraising offline, let us know.
    3. Tell everyone about your event by using some of our great Tennis-a-thon resources.

    *We’ll send you one free t-shirt when you sign up. You can order extra t-shirts for your club members, family and friends in our shop.

    Online fundraising resources for your challenge

    We’ve got lots of fundraising materials which you can download and print to help you spread the word about your event and display on the day

    Download this resource

    Thanks for downloading! We’re only asking for your email so we can measure downloads and ask for your feedback. We won’t sign you up for any marketing communications, but if you'd like to stay in touch, sign up for our newsletter by clicking "Subscribe to our newsletter" at the bottom of this page.

    The easiest way to collect donations is to set up an online fundraising page on JustGiving. This can be shared easily with friends, family and colleagues – you’ll be amazed by how generous people can be.  

    To boost your fundraising, why not organise some additional activities to run alongside your Tennis-a-thon challenge? This can help you smash your fundraising goals.  

    Here are some ideas:  

    • arrange a raffle – we have a letter of authority that you can print out and take to local businesses to source prizes. Please email fundraising@dementiauk.org and we can send this to you
    • hold a sweepstake: you could ask people to guess how long your Tennis-a-thon will take, or the number of steps you’ll take on the court during your challenge 
    • organise a bake sale or summer barbecue at your event to bring in some extra donations on the day 
    • run a tennis tournament for a donation on entry: you can download and print the promotional poster to spread the word.

    All donations raised through JustGiving will come straight to us – so you don’t need to do anything.

    If you collect cash donations, here’s how you can pay them in:

    1. The easiest and quickest way to donate is through our website.
    2. Send a cheque made payable to Dementia UK to Dementia UK, 7th Floor, One Aldgate, London, EC3N 1RE.
    3. Request our bank details to make a bank transfer by emailing fundraising@dementiauk.org
    4. Call 020 8036 5440 to make a payment by phone.

    Once you’ve completed your challenge, we will send you a thank you for all your hard work.

    What is Dementia UK’s Tennis-a-thon?

    The Tennis-a-thon is a fundraising activity where we ask participants to challenge themselves by playing tennis. This could be taking on a 24-hour tournament, asking friends to pay to play, or challenging each other to smash the fastest serve. The main aim is to help raise vital funds and awareness for families facing dementia by playing tennis.

    When is the Tennis-a-thon and where can I take part?

    The Tennis-a-thon takes place throughout July. You can choose to hold the event on a specific date, across a weekend or even make it a month-long challenge. If you can’t find a date in July, don’t worry – you can take part on another date that suits you.

    Your Tennis-a-thon can take place anywhere: at your local tennis court, in the park or at a sports centre – wherever suits your challenge. Don’t forget to book a court or space!

    Why not let your local tennis club or council know about your fundraising event to ask if they can allocate free court space for the day?

    Are there spaces on courts booked for this event at tennis clubs?

    No, you will need to book your own court space for the day if you are taking part as an individual. Many clubs across the country are participating, so please do ask your local club if it is holding an event and it may be able to allocate you a space.

    I’ve just signed up. Now what?

    If you’ve registered for your t-shirt and a welcome pack, you’ll receive this in the post. We’ll also send you emails packed with tips to help you organise your event and raise vital funds. Our team is always happy to talk through ideas to help your fundraising so do get in touch with us at fundraising@dementiauk.org

    Is there a fundraising target?

    There is no fundraising target for this challenge – simply raise as much as you can for families affected by dementia.

    How do I get my free t-shirt? /When will I receive my welcome pack?

    When you register for Tennis-a-thon you can opt in for a free t-shirt and welcome pack. You can order extra t-shirts for your club here.

    Can I get free t-shirts for my family?

    We send out one t-shirt per registration. If you are registering on behalf of your club/organisation or planning your event with additional players, you can purchase extra t-shirts for your participants through our online shop.

    How do I raise money?

    The best way to raise funds is to create a JustGiving page – just head to the JustGiving website to set up your page.

    Once you have created your JustGiving page, you can share it with your family, friends, club members and colleagues via text, email, WhatsApp and social media.

    If you would also like to take cash donations on the day, you can download our bucket labels or order a collection box by getting in touch with us at fundraising@dementiauk.org

    Where do my online donations go?

    All donations made to your fundraiser will be sent directly to Dementia UK by JustGiving. These vital donations will support families facing dementia.

    How can I send in sponsorship money I collect offline?

    The easiest way to pay any cash donations to Dementia UK is through our  Tennis-a-thon donation page.

    • Please send cheques with a note including your full name, the email address that you used for registering and an explanation that you raised the money through the Tennis-a-thon to Dementia UK, 7th Floor, One Aldgate, London, EC3N 1RE
    • If you would prefer to make a bank transfer, please email fundraising@dementiauk.org to request our details
    • Alternatively, you can make a payment by phone by calling 020 8059 4400

    “Taking part in the Tennis-a-thon was an amazing experience. It gave me the rare opportunity to represent my relationship with my grandmother through tennis, a sport we both loved when she was well and afforded us such shared enjoyment over the years. On top of all this, it also allowed me to connect with other tennis players in my local area. I loved being able to get so many people involved with such an important cause.”

    - Tim, who took part in the Tennis-a-thon in 2022