Father and son play 18 hours of padel tennis for Crohn's & Colitis

The Dundas family, who have raised over £30k for Crohn’s & Colitis UK, are no strangers to illness, as Milo himself was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2015.

Now on the road to recovery, Milo and his dad are fighting to make sure that inflammatory bowel diseases are not something only talked about in whispers.

“There's nothing worse as a parent than watching your children fight illnesses,” said Jim Dundas, a father of three from just outside Marlborough.

“People say you're only as happy as your unhappiest child, and when you see your children suffering and there's nothing you can do, it's really tough.

“So for me, this challenge was partly about putting energy into something to feel like I could help."

The tennis challenge was an emotional day for the whole Dundas family. (Image: Padel4Poppy)

After watching her battle, Poppy’s dad Jim had one clear mission – to raise awareness and money, through tennis.

“My dad is really obsessed with padel tennis, which is sort of a fast-paced mix between tennis and squash,” 30-year-old Poppy explained.

The ‘Padel4Poppy’ event took place on Saturday, October 7 at Bassett Down Padel Centre, and Jim and Milo played against a new couple every 30 minutes, from 6am until midnight.

Although the father and son duo won 434-35, the challenge was a particular triumph for 25-year-old Milo.

Milo and his dad played padel tennis for 18 hours without stopping. (Image: Padel4Poppy)

“My son is lucky because he's in remission at the moment and he’s living a pretty full life, but for Poppy, the situation is a little different,” explained Jim.

Poppy Dundas was diagnosed with Colitis disease last year and said she knew nothing about what it was.

“I experienced an extreme flare up in December 2022 which resulted in hospitalisation," she explained.

“I trialled two courses of steroids and continued to lose weight, not absorb any nutrients and I was experiencing all sorts of horrible symptoms.

“I underwent many invasive tests and infusions. Now I’m taking eight tablets a day, plus every eight weeks I’m back in hospital for infliximab infusions."

Poppy (right) with her sister Emmy, supporting their family. (Image: Padel4Poppy)

For Poppy, Crohn’s & Colitis UK was the only place she could go to feel in control.

“They’re a great source of information for people going through a diagnosis. There’s a big stigma around these diseases and no one likes to talk about it,” she said.

“I feel so proud of my family, and the money we have raised is going towards research for new medications and hopefully one day a cure.

"But I think that ultimately all I wanted is to let people know about these horrible diseases."