Always on
This project successfully funded on 5th September 2025, you can still support them with a donation.
Bishops Castle Tennis Club Court Refurbishment
Bishops Castle, Shropshire, United Kingdom
Aim
To resurface our courts and replace the perimeter fencing so we can keep tennis accessible, safe and inclusive for everyone in the community
Update
MIDSUMMER MADNESS - 24 HOUR TENNISATHON - 21 and 22 JUNE 2025
We did it!! On the longest day of the year, we completed our biggest ever challenge, playing tennis for 24 hours without a break. Dozens of players took it in turns to play together throughout the 24 hour 'Tennisathon'- all to help raise funds which will go towards resurfacing the club courts and replacing the court fence. Click here https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0lkwbxd to listen to BBC Radio Shropshire's feature about our challenge, with updates from Helen Randle.
We started at midday on Saturday 21st June, after a group countdown to mark the start of the 24 hour challenge, followed by play around the clock, in the bright afternoon sunshine until early evening when the sun set and darkness fell. Then some brave souls played under floodlights into the small hours, even in pyjamas!.
On Sunday morning 22nd June more and more players and supporters gathered, until our 24 hours of play culminated in a Grand Finale from 11am till midday, with everyone wearing bright colours to bring the challenge to a colourful and rousing close. We celebrated with cheering, tea and cakes!
We completed this challenge to help kick-start our fundraising for the club, as we need to replace 2 of our 3 courts and all of our perimeter fencing, which will cost around £47,000. We're hoping that our efforts during the Tennisathon will raise £1,000 towards this total target. We're still fundraising via this page until early September, so any donations and support would be gratefully receive. If you are able to add Gift Aid to your donation please do so as it doesn't cost you any more but it raises extra money for our club. Thank you for your support!
Who are we?
Bishop's Castle Tennis Club is a long established tennis club at the heart of a small rural town in Shropshire. For over 100 years tennis has been played on the site and it's been an important part of the community, offering the only tennis courts in the town. We're a friendly, inclusive club and members work hard to ensure people of all ages and abilities are welcomed and catered for at the club. In recent years we've held various fundraising events to try to boost our funds, but we now need to raise more towards the approx. £47,000 cost of replacing our deteriorating courts and the surrounding perimeter fence.
Why are we crowdfunding?
Our courts desperately need to be resurfaced, and our perimeter fence is collapsing. Over the years the courts have had a lot of wear and tear which has taken its toll and left them in a poor condition. One court is already unplayable after wet weather and through the winter season. It's become increasingly difficult to play on the courts with growing potholes and odd patches appearing, so we urgently need to take action and repair them before the surfaces become unsafe and unplayable. The fencing is on its last legs so the courts are no longer secure, and in danger of becoming a health and safety risk.
How we’ll spend the money raised
We are committed to raising as much as possible ourselves through grant applications and fundraising events like our 24 Hour Midsummer Madness Tennis-athon, but we do need help to bridge the funding gap and secure the future of tennis at Bishop's Castle. Resurfacing the courts will cost £29,000 and replacing the fencing will be £18,000.
Community impact
By resurfacing our courts and replacing the outer fencing, we can:
✅ Provide a safe and high-quality playing surface for members and the wider community to enjoy tennis
✅ Attract new members, including juniors and beginners, with improved facilities
✅ Enable year-round play, helping people stay active and socially connected
How you can play your part
There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.
1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success! As we are a Registered Charity, if you are a UK taxpayer you will be able to apply gift aid to your donation.
2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.
3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!
4. Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser – maybe a sponsored activity or similar – use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!
Thank you :)
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made