A century-old tennis club in Ipswich could be the first in the world to have courts resurfaced with waste plastic – but needs your help with funding.
Roundwood Tennis Club needs to resurface its three outdoor asphalt courts and hopes to be a pilot scheme for new, environment-friendly technology which would save 300,000 plastic bottles from going to landfill and 30 tonnes of carbon emissions.
The club, based in Salmet Close behind Paul’s Sports and Social Club, has been shortlisted in Marks and Spencer’s Energy Community Fund following its pitch to partner up with MacRebur, a Scottish start-up company which makes roads out of waste plastic. It was the 2016 Virgin Media Business Start Up Voom Winner.
The MacRebur product MR6 replaces bitumen content of asphalt with plastic waste.
The club has already raised £15,000 towards the project but needs another £10,000. It has set-up an online crowdfunding page but winning the M&S fund for the East of England region would provide up to £12,000. It now needs your votes.
• See here to vote for Roundwood Tennis Club in the Marks and Spencer’s Energy Community Fund.
Club secretary Martyn Ward said: “It would give us great kudos as being the first club in the world to use this patented technology.
“Sir Andy Murray has invested in MacRebur and hopefully it would be possible to have him open the court. There would be a realistic chance of that, if we were successful.
“It is becoming increasingly difficult for small clubs to survive as funding tends to go to larger initiatives, so this would put us on the map and give long-term benefits.”
The project began when Mr Ward’s wife, Tracy, met MacRebur co-founder Toby McCartney through work. She said: “When I heard about their work, I asked if the process could work for tennis courts. He had never heard of it but said it could be delivered.”
Around 40 adults and 40 juniors are members at the club, founded in 1910.
• To donate to the crowdfunding page, see here.
Mr Ward added: “I’m very passionate about the environment and tennis. This new technology is greener, stronger, and longer-lasting and combines both my passions. I hope as many people as possible can vote.”
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