Jesmond Dene Real Tennis Club

05/08/2026

Amazing

02/08/2026

ONE WEEK TODAY – CHRIS PEARSON’S REAL TENNIS WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT

One week today, Sunday 9 August, Jesmond Dene Real Tennis Club member Chris Pearson will attempt to break the world record for the most Real Tennis serves completed in one hour.

Chris has put an incredible amount of time, practice and energy into preparing for this challenge – and he’s doing it while raising money for two fantastic causes with strong connections to our club here in Newcastle upon Tyne.

75% of everything raised will go to Smile For Life Children’s Charity, a wonderful North East charity that Jesmond Dene Real Tennis Club has supported over the last few years. They do amazing work supporting children and young people in our region, and we are incredibly proud to continue that connection.

25% will go to the Jesmond Dene Real Tennis Club Heritage Fund.

The Heritage Fund has been established to help protect the future of our historic Real Tennis court and building. All money raised for the fund is ring-fenced specifically for the upkeep and preservation of the building, helping ensure this very special place can continue to be enjoyed by future generations.

So we’d love the whole Real Tennis community to get behind Chris.

If you play Real Tennis, have played at Jesmond Dene, love the history of our game, or simply want to support two great North East causes, please donate whatever you can and SHARE this post.

DONATE & SUPPORT CHRIS HERE:

https://gvwhl.com/OY6B2

And if you’re in Newcastle next Sunday, come along to Jesmond Dene and support Chris in person. It’s going to be a tough hour and we’d love to have a great crowd behind him.

One week to go, Chris. Let’s see what we can raise – and let’s see that world record come to Newcastle!

Please share and help us spread the word.

Jesmond Dene Real Tennis Club
Grays Real Tennis
Ladies Real Tennis Association
Moreton Morrell Tennis Court Club
The Tennis & Rackets Association
Bristol Real Tennis Club
Chasing the Hazard
Chris Pearson
Jeu de Paume Bordeaux
Grays Rackets
Nederlandse Real Tennis Bond / Dutch Real Tennis Association
Tambour
The Dedanists' Foundation

🎾 HELP CHRIS PEARSON BREAK A GUINNESS WORLD RECORD AND RAISE MONEY FOR TWO GREAT CAUSES! 🎾On Sunday 9th August, Chris Pearson, will be attempting …

25/07/2026

🎾 HELP CHRIS PEARSON BREAK A GUINNESS WORLD RECORD AND RAISE MONEY FOR TWO GREAT CAUSES! 🎾

On Sunday 9th August, Chris Pearson, will be attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the most real tennis serves in one hour.

The current record stands at 1,385 serves — so he will need to serve at an average of over 23 serves every minute for a full hour to beat it!

Alongside the record attempt, he's hoping to raise as much money as possible for two fantastic causes:

❤️ 75% – North East Children's Charity Smile for Life. Supporting disabled and disadvantaged young people across the North East, helping them overcome barriers and achieve their potential.

🏛️ 25% – Jesmond Dene Real Tennis Club Heritage Fund.
Helping support the upkeep and preservation of our Grade II listed real tennis court and building, ensuring this unique piece of sporting heritage can be enjoyed for generations to come.

Please donate whatever you can — every donation, big or small, will make a difference.

Donate here: https://gvwhl.com/OY6B2

Thank you for your support! ❤️🎾

https://gvwhl.com/OY6B2

🎾 HELP CHRIS PEARSON BREAK A GUINNESS WORLD RECORD AND RAISE MONEY FOR TWO GREAT CAUSES! 🎾On Sunday 9th August, Chris Pearson, will be attempting …

20/07/2026

Mark's been printing again! 😄
After the last batch of Jesmond Dene T-shirts went down so well, I've printed some more and added a few new colours and styles for the summer.
To make the first Jesmond Dene Leagues even more interesting, there's now an extra prize up for grabs...
The player with the best overall average across all seven leagues will win a Jesmond Dene T-shirt of their choice.
So if you've still got league matches to play, this is a good reminder to get them arranged. The leagues are due to finish in early August, so don't leave it too late.
Good luck everyone, and hopefully you'll like the new colours! 👕🎾

28/06/2026

27/06/2026

What a fantastic morning at Jesmond Dene Parkrun! ☀️

A beautiful morning with over 300 runners taking part, and it was great to chat to so many people and spread the word about Real Tennis. It was also lovely to catch up with a few familiar faces and some former members I haven't seen for a while.

A massive thank you to Chris Pearson and especially young Edward Pearson. Edward was absolutely brilliant all morning – handing out flyers, chatting to runners and helping promote the club. At just 7 years old, he was an absolute star. If anyone's looking for a future salesperson, this is the boy to employ!

Thanks also to Paul Averley for coming along and lending a hand. Your support was very much appreciated.

A really enjoyable morning and a great opportunity to introduce more people to Jesmond Dene Real Tennis Club. Here's hoping we see plenty of new faces at the club over the coming weeks!

26/06/2026

🌳 Saturday Morning in the Dene 🎾

Tomorrow from 8:30am I'll be in Jesmond Dene, just up from Pets' Corner, promoting Jesmond Dene Real Tennis Club to the hundreds of runners taking part in the Parkrun.

If you're out for a walk or passing by, come and say hello. If you fancy handing out a few flyers for 10 minutes, that would be fantastic – and if you happen to arrive with a coffee in your hand, I definitely won't complain! ☕😄

A huge thank you to Chris Pearson for organising this fantastic opportunity to introduce real tennis to so many local runners. Hopefully we'll inspire plenty of new faces to come and give our wonderful game a try.

See you in the Dene!

Mark

Grays Real Tennis
Wata

13/06/2026

What a fantastic way to round off your time at Newcastle University.

Over the last three years, you've discovered Real Tennis and become part of a game that stretches far beyond Newcastle. The recent trip to Bordeaux was a perfect example of that. Not only did the students get the chance to play on one of the newest Real Tennis courts in the world, but it was also lovely to see some of Mark's old friends from his days competing in Bordeaux, including the ever-welcoming Tyler and Paul Van Der Linden , helping to show the students around one of Bordeaux's impressive châteaux.

It's moments like these that remind us what makes Real Tennis so special. The game connects people across generations, countries and clubs, and it's wonderful to see the wider Real Tennis family coming together to give the students such a memorable experience.

While we know students eventually move on, what we always hope at Jesmond is that the game stays with them. Whether life takes them to London, New York, Melbourne or anywhere else in the world, there's a Real Tennis club and community waiting to welcome them.

A huge thank you to all our students this year. You've been a brilliant group, and we're proud to have been part of your journey. Good luck with whatever comes next — and most importantly, keep playing and enjoying the game wherever life takes you.

10/06/2026

Club treasurer's given me permission to go to £350 if it gets the deal done!!

08/06/2026

Congratulations to Chris Marks on becoming Scottish National Champion 2026. 🏆🏴
This is a fantastic achievement and one that is thoroughly deserved. Chris shows an incredible level of commitment to his game, regularly travelling down from Edinburgh to Jesmond and putting in three-hour training sessions every few weeks in his pursuit of improvement.
Hard work, dedication and determination have paid off, and everyone at Jesmond Dene Real Tennis Club is delighted to see Chris crowned Scottish Champion.
A huge congratulations from all of us at Jesmond. This title is very well deserved, and we couldn't be more pleased for you.