TENNIS players from Earls Colne have been catching some well earned rest after taking part in a national 24 hour tennis marathon.

Players from Earls Colne Tennis Club journeyed to the national tennis centre at Roehampton to take part in the charity event which helped to raise funds for their club.

Hosted by the Lawn Tennis Association and the charity Bright Ideas for Tennis, the event saw teams from clubs all around the country play in a gruelling schedule of tennis matches.

The Earls Colne team played for eight hours with one player burning off more than 8,000 calories.

The club has been raising funds for more than 18 months in an attempt to renovate its club house.

Among the players taking part in the challenge was Tom East, 46, is a committee member at the club who has been playing tennis at Earls Colne since 1985.

He said: “It was a genuinely incredible experience to be able to go there and play on some absolutely world class courts.

“We’ve been raising money to help refurbish our clubhouse. We aim to have it either completely rebuilt or renovated inside depending on how much we raise. So far we’ve raised around £10,000 and the tennis marathon has helped raise around £825.”

Mr East said they hoped to fulfil the vision of their late head coach David Birks who died from bowel cancer.