A Dundee pensioner who plays tennis twice a week has revealed his secret to staying fit at the age of 90.
Dave Patterson plays every Tuesday and Thursday at David Lloyd in Monifieth.
The pensioner is a member of the ‘Sclaffers’ tennis club and has played with them since the group launched two decades ago.
Dave, a retired manager research and development engineer at NCR, a said: “The group started just over 20 years ago and I joined maybe after the first six months.
“Quite a few of the originals are still playing, there are 34 people and almost an equal number of males and females.”
But it is not all about sport for Dave, who says the social side of being a ‘Sclaffer’ is even more important.
“The thing is, it’s not just the tennis,” he said.
“The social side is really wonderful. You could be just in the gym, working out, but you never hear peals of laughter whereas here you do.
“There’s good fun on the courts and everyone is trying their best but then afterwards we have a coffee, so the social side is maybe even 60% of the value of being a ‘Sclaffer’.”
Members of the club range from 60 to 90 years old.
There is an eight-year age gap between Dave and the second oldest player in the team.
Dave said: “In the ‘Sclaffers’ they’re all youngsters of 70 and 65.
“I don’t really think I would be played tennis at 90 if it wasn’t for the encouragement these people give me and the desire to come here, mix among them and just enjoy it.
“They’re a lovely group of people, we’re very lucky.”
What’s the secret?
Dave revealed his secret to health and fitness which allows him to still play sports at the grand age of 90.
He said: “What works for me is I have a vegetarian diet, I eat a lot of chips.
“Some people think that aspirin is the thing to take for your heart, red wine is I think arguably better and it’s much more fun – a vegetarian diet and red wine seems to work for me.
“The encouragement from the rest of ‘sclaffers’, keeps me going.”
People’s Piano
The pensioner is also known for his heart-warming gesture of donating a piano to Dundee railway station in memory of his wife Jean after she died in 2018.
Music lover Jean retired from Dundee Station 25 years ago having spent much of her career working in admin with ScotRail.
The piano was destroyed beyond repair by vandals, however a fundraising appeal launched after the attack raised almost £5,000, allowing for a new one to be installed.
‘He brings out the best in all of us’
Catherine Smith, 73, the weekly organiser of the club, described Dave as “inspirational”.
She said: “Dave is one of our most regular players.
“He is just inspirational, he really is.
“He’s so lively, interested, he’s very good at praising everyone, so I think he brings out the best in all of us.
“He’s almost like our mascot. He really is a great guy. ”
Catherine took over running the group around 10 years ago.
She said: “It has been a great social get-together.
“About 10 years ago I took over and I think we’ve been successful because we’ve never had a committee.
“The health benefits are tremendous – the physical benefits of keeping active and because it’s weight bearing it’s good for osteoporosis, flexibility and strength.
“But I think from our group it’s been very good socially, we meet before hand, have coffee’s when we’re off [the court] and I suppose it’s great for the brain to try and keep the score, that’s probably what we’re least good at with short term memory loss.”