Father and son, Jim and Milo Dundas raised £35,700 for charity Crohn’s and Colitis UK by playing 18 continuous hours of padel tennis at Padel4All’s centre in Swindon.

The Dundas family’s personal story inspired the pair to set themselves the challenge to complete the 18-hour padel tennis marathon. As part of this challenge the pair played against a variety of opponents non-stop from 6AM until midnight to raise money for charity Crohn’s and Colitis UK.

In 2015 Milo Dundas was diagnosed with Crohn’s, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), his older sister Poppy was also diagnosed with ulcerative colitis last year. Over the years the family has faced various challenges and yet remained impressively upbeat, resilient, and positive throughout.

Across the UK alone there is estimated to be around half a million people living with one of these life-long diseases, many of whom suffer in silence. Crohn’s and Colitis UK is committed to breaking taboos around Crohn’s and colitis, driving pioneering research and bringing people together to help improve lives.

Padel tennis was chosen for the 18-hour marathon as it is a very inclusive and sociable sport accessible for players of all ages. The pair played 469 games in total and won 434 of them. Despite the enjoyable nature of the sport itself, playing padel for 18 hours is no small challenge. Jim and Milo overcame this hurdle through their combined dedication to help raise awareness and funds to improve diagnosis and treatment for Crohn’s and colitis.

Commenting on the achievement Jim Dundas said “Words cannot express how proud I am of my son Milo and the accomplishment we have achieved together. We are so grateful for the overwhelming support we have received from the local community, the Padel4All team and all charities involved.

“We hope our efforts go a long way in supporting Crohn’s and Colitis UK’s mission to change lives for the better”.

Commenting further on the pair’s padel marathon, Padel4All Swindon’s Centre Manager Luke Bedwell said “When we first heard the Dundas family’s story and the challenge, they had set themselves, we were astonished, yet enthusiastic to provide them with everything they needed to accomplish their goal.

It was such a pleasure to host the 18-hour padel marathon at our Swindon centre where the pair and many others had the opportunity to showcase their incredible talent and devotion. The Padel4All team look forward to seeing how the funds raised support the continuous efforts of Crohn’s & Colitis UK.”