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Perthshire woman swaps teaching for tennis as Racquet Buddies classes expand

Racquet Buddies teaches children badminton and tennis skills.
Racquet Buddies teaches children badminton and tennis skills.

Dundee primary school teacher Linda Johnstone is leaving the classroom and stepping onto the tennis court to teach children racquet skills.

Linda worked as a primary school teacher for 13 years, last at Ancrum Road Primary School.

Racquet Buddies offers tennis and badminton classes for children aged between two and 12 years old. It develops youngsters’ motor, coordination, listening and social skills.

Linda Johnstone from Inchture will launch classes in Perth, Blairgowrie, Scone and the Carse of Gowrie next month.

Lockdown inspired career change

Racquet Buddies was founded by Hayley Donnelly when she was teaching part-time in 2013.

Her first class taught 10 children, and despite challenges due to Covid, when classes were cancelled, over 200 children are now involved.

Being a parent and working through lockdown inspired Linda to make a career change.

In her new role, she hopes to enjoy a better work-life balance and help other families live a healthy life.

Racquet Buddies founder Hayley Donnelly and Linda Johnstone.

Linda says: “For me, it’s a fresh challenge and an opportunity to channel my experience, skills and enthusiasm into a new career.

“The franchise will free up family time and present me with the ideal opportunity to invest in the health of the younger generation.

“I absolutely love working with children and seeing them progress in whatever they do.

“I’ve always been active and that’s part and parcel of our family life, but I appreciate it can be hard to tick all the boxes when you’re busy working and running a family.

“It’s about giving back to the community and helping families live a healthier lifestyle.”

Angus expansion for Racquet Buddies

After taking Linda on board, Hayley is now looking for more franchisees.

Her goal is to recruit 1,000 ‘racquet buddies’ across Scotland by the end of 2023.

Racquet Buddies offer classes in Dundee, Angus and Perthshire.

She says:  “Racquet Buddies classes tick so many boxes. From the children’s perspective, they’re fun, varied and the format changes regularly which is essential for younger kids in particular.

“There are also huge mental health benefits.

“Covid has been a challenging time for all of us, but also shone a light on the importance of burning off your energy, staying active and doing something fun.”

So far, Racquet Buddies has expanded from Dundee to Perthshire, Angus and Edinburgh.

Dundee-based tennis coach John Cairney is running Angus classes in Wellbank, Letham, Arbroath, Monikie, Monifieth and Carnoustie.