Udny Green is a quiet, quaint, picturesque village of just 91 houses, 12 miles north of Aberdeen. Due to its rural location, accessing sporting opportunities are few and far between in the local vicinity. However, two new sports sessions are helping residents to get out and get active.
Among the villages, basic amenities is a primary school and a village hall. The hall is used as a venue for a variety of community events and classes, which now sees pickleball and boccia added to its list of sessions. Jeannie Price is part of the village halls management committee and after many discussions about ways to generate further income and footfall to the hall, Jeannie heard about one of the fast-growing sports - Pickleball. Pickleball combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis and has quickly established itself as a popular racket sport due to its low impact making it accessible for all ages and abilities.
Jeannie said: “I went along to a free pickleball taster session at Robert Gordon University in 2024 to have a go and see what all the fuss was about.
“I came back enthused and felt that this would be a great addition to the local community.
"I approached our local community wind turbine company – Udny Community Trust – for funding to upgrade the village hall floor and install a dedicated pickleball court, with a proper kitchen line, as well as buying nets and bats and balls.”
Through support from Live Life Aberdeenshire community sport hub officer Audra Booth and a local pickleball volunteer, Eric Fordyce, three taster sessions were organised to generate interest with around 30 people showing up across the sessions ranging in age from those from the primary school to 80 plus!
The hall also received activation funding from Live Life Aberdeenshire which was used to cover the venue cost and ensure the community could try pickleball free of charge. A regular session is now held on Thursday evenings with 8-10 players playing regularly from the village and surrounding area.
Jeannie commented on its success, saying:
“Bringing pickleball to the village has provided a wonderful opportunity to get people together, boost their mental and physical health and see the hall being more regularly used.
"We also allow people to book the court and equipment out with our regular sessions.”
Due to its success a fully-fledged club, Pickleball Udny Green (PUG), has been formed and they will be looking to arrange fun, social sessions with other clubs in the not too distant future.
Jeannie added: “As someone who disliked PE lessons at school, it’s ironic that I have been instrumental in introducing more people to the game of pickleball. It just goes to show there’s a sport out there for everyone!”
Boccia was also introduced to local residents when Jeannie was approached by Audra about running a taster session aimed at older residents in the community.
Audra Booth said: “We wanted to organise an activity for the older members of the community — not just to take part, but also to socialise. It was about bringing older members of the Udny Green community together and creating an opportunity to meet others, share conversation, and enjoy a cup of tea and a biscuit.
“Recognising this, Boccia sessions were introduced to provide a fun, accessible and inclusive activity to encourage social interaction, promote wellbeing and help develop connections within the community.
"Given the rural setting, it was also important that the activity be easily accessible, minimising the need for travel.”
The Boccia taster session welcomed a further 25 people along with many participants expressing their delight in taking part in an activity that made them feel included and valued.
Given its success and engagement levels, the sessions have continued to run fortnightly on Monday afternoons. The positive impact was evident in strengthening the sense of community within Udny Green.
Although the sessions were initially aimed at the older generation of the community, due to the sports inclusive nature has meant that pupils from the local primary school are able to join in, creating intergenerational connections and enhancing the overall enjoyment and ‘competitiveness’ of the sessions.
Find out more
- Learn more about community sport hubs in Aberdeenshire
