Children and parents play together to raise cash for disability sport in Edinburgh

Children as young as five and their parents took to the court in a touchtennis fundraiser to raise £250 for Advantage, an Edinburgh based project which uses tennis as a catalyst to support those living with disabilities.

The touchtennis tournament, which the organisers hope will be the first of many, is unique as it is played with 21″ rackets, foam balls and on a smaller court – with the emphasis being on fun. The benefit of this is it allows as many people to take part as possible ranging from children who are just starting to play tennis, wheelchair users, teenagers who play at a County level and, of course, their parents for an activity that the whole family can enjoy.

Michael Millar, founder of the Advantage project, said “touchtennis has proven a great way for us to raise funds to support the work we’ve been doing. It allows us to get as many people together at an event regardless of age or ability, the foam ball is truly an equaliser!”.

Advantage began life in 2015 when Michael took tennis in to a care home as a way of providing stimulation for people living with dementia and has since grown to support tennis players who face barriers relating to learning, sensory and physical disabilities through organised tennis coaching sessions and special events.

You can find out more about the Advantage project here