Judy Murray, mum of Andy Murray, is Pickleball Scotland and sport is played by Ellen DeGeneres, George Clooney and Kim Kardashian – now pickleball comes to Canterbury through Canterbury Area Pickleball’s club

It’s a sport Judy Murray - mum of two-time Wimbledon champion Andy - is becoming increasingly involved with and is also played by celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, George Clooney and Ellen DeGeneres.

Pickleball has been taking off in the past few years in Kent, too, as Canterbury Area Pickleball follows other clubs from Thanet.

But it’s not only in the Garden of England where the sport is thriving, with Judy Murray having been unveiled as the new Ambassador for Pickleball Scotland last year.

“Up and down the country, it’s massive,” said Lisa Evans, who was involved in setting up Canterbury Area Pickleball.

“Andy Murray’s mum, Judy, has been playing in our Scotland club.

“Andy Murray has played it and Andy Murray’s mum has just completed a pickleball coaching course, so now she can teach her friends to play it.

“It’s massive. I know a lot of people don’t hear about it, but it really is big.”

It’s also popular in the United States and Europe.

Evans added: “George Clooney is playing it, as well as Ellen DeGeneres.

“You have got loads of celebrities playing it and that does highlight it.

“In America, they have pickleball villages where they have 250 courts - and all they do, all day, is play pickleball!

“But they have the space out there. And the weather.

“In Spain and Italy and places like that, they play outside a lot more.

“But we struggle with the outside generally down to the weather and it’s down to court space.”

Evans has been key in setting up Canterbury Area Pickleball.

She said: “If I was honest, I was probably expecting about 50.

“But people just want to play pickleball all day and it gets word of mouth, really, through ‘Oh, I’m playing at this club and we’re having a festival’ so other people think ‘Oh yeah,