Burnley Tennis Club will be holding its first ever round the clock tournament in memory of its former ladies captain.
The club will be playing tennis and table tennis for 24 hours in honour of talented player and former junior coach Vicki Taylor who died suddenly two years ago.
The event is being held to jointly raise funds for the club and also for the national charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY).
CRY does various and vital research into heart disease and one such strand is Long QT Syndrome – a condition that can cause sudden death and the primary reason why Vicki collapsed and passed away.
Long QT syndrome is a disorder of the electrical system of the heart and one of a range of conditions that cause unexplained sudden death in young people.
Vicki unexpectedly collapsed while playing tennis with husband Iain at Clitheroe Tennis Club on August 13, 2006 at the age of just 48-years-old. She turned 49 while in hospital but sadly passed away in the November.
The marathon tennis event will take place on the weekend of August 30-31 and will be held at Burnley Tennis Club on Belvedere Road, starting at 9am on the Saturday.
Everyone is welcome to attend, members and non members, and the highlight of the weekend will be a three hour mixed doubles tournament which will run on Saturday evening.
The event is hoping to raise a total of £2,000 which will go towards the CRY charity in Vicki's memory and also raise money for the club in their bid to have indoor courts – a project that Vicki was also heavily involved in.
The club currently has six courts and it is hoping to raise enough funds to cover two of them under a 'bubble' – a similar covering used at Blackburn Northern Tennis Club.
"Both of these fund raising ideas will be in Vicki's memory," said Iain who is also the club's captain and coach.
"We want to raise as much money as possible for the CRY research in to the Long QT Syndrome which sadly was the cause of Vicki's death. All money raised for the charity will be in her honour.
However, the club was very dear to Vicki and she would have loved to have seen us be able to afford to have indoor courts. Vicki would have loved it to be able to play and coach all year round so this is also a perfect way to remember her."
The club will welcome donations from any local businesses and Burnley Football Club have already pledged a prize for the raffle in the evening.
Anyone wishing to take part in the event can contact club captain Iain Taylor on 07885 528 915.
