A CHARITY tennis-a-thon which was postponed due to the summer heatwave is now set to take place next month.

Fourteen-year-old tennis player Charlie Bowden will be pushing his skills and stamina to the limit in a bid to raise as much money as he can for a UK dementia charity. He will be taking to the court at Ross Tennis Centre, on Sunday, September 18, to raise money for Dementia UK.

His goal is to play from 9am to 6pm in a variety of tennis-based activities. One of which is a session of group cardio tennis at 12 noon as well as some fun games from 1pm until 3pm.

So far, Charlie is on £30 of his £150 goal; for those looking to support the cause, Charlie has set up a donation page on Facebook. Donations can be made by visiting
https://bit.ly/charlietennis
and clicking donation. All donations go straight through to the charity and donations are eligible for Gift Aid providing they are from a registered UK taxpayer. Facebook don’t take any fees from donations made through their platform.

He said: “Come along to support me, hit with me, or challenge me to a game of touch tennis, and of course, there will be a cake sale.”

He added: “Your contribution will make an impact, whether you donate £5 or £500. Every little bit helps.”

For those who aren’t so confident in their tennis ability can try cardio tennis with Charlie at noon. This is less about skill and more about persevering through the challenge and keeping the heart rate up.

The day will finish with a fun game, with teams of four or five on the court, so guest participants wont have too much of an area to cover.

Dementia UK is a specialist dementia nurse charity. Their nurses, known as Admiral Nurses, provide life-changing care for families affected by all forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. As dementia specialists they help families manage complex needs. When people are struggling, their nurses help them take back control. They help people living with dementia to stay independent for longer, and support the people caring for them so they have the strength to cope with the bad days, and the energy to enjoy the good days.