Hello and thank you so much for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page in support of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC).

We are sure like us, you were shocked and greatly saddened to see the devastation caused by the earthquake and subsequent aftershocks that hit Nepal on Saturday 25th April 2015.

So what are we going to do to entice you to give the DEC some of your hard earned cash? Well from 2pm on Saturday 13th June 2015 to 2pm on Sunday 14th June 2015 at Rothley Ivanhoe Tennis Club in Leicestershire Mary and I will be playing a 24 hour doubles tennis marathon. We will be reaching out to the tennis community near and far to provide us with opponents throughout the 24 hours. To ensure we raise as much money as possible we will be asking for donations from each opponent brave enough to challenge us. We know that not everyone will be able to come and play us so we would be delighted if you could show your support by donating.

Over 6.600 deaths have already been confirmed and that number is expected to rise to over 10,000. The United Nations have estimated that 8 million people in Nepal have been directly effected by this natural disaster that's around 25% of the total population. Its hard to imagine something of that scale. Over 500,000 people are now without homes and many without any kind of shelter at all. 

Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world with 44% of the population officially regarded as poor surviving on less than £1.50 per day. Unemployment is at a staggering 50%. The people of Nepal are simply not in a position to cope without our help. The fact you are already reading this page shows your determination to do something positive in support of our Nepalese friends. Thank you.

The great news is that help is already getting through. The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) brings together 13 leading UK aid charities in times of crisis. These charities include British Red Cross, OXFAM and Save The Children. DEC members are already working around the clock in Nepal focussing on providing emergency shelter, food, clean water and blankets.

Any donation you can afford will make a huge difference. Here are some of the things your donation could buy.

£4 will provide over 1000 water purification tablets

£21 will provide clean water to three families for a week

£25 could provide life-saving salts to rehydrate over 80 children

£100 provides tents to shelter 15 families

We would also like to ask for your help in raising the awareness of the DEC appeal. Please share the link for this page through social media or in any way you can. Please also use the following hashtag to help promote our 24 hour doubles tennis marathon.

#tennis4nepal

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit our page and for any donation no matter how big or small you have subsequently made.

Kevin and Mary xx