The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, teamed up with Judy Murray this week to launch the latter’s new tennis on the Road programme.

A keen tennis fan, Middleton took to the court to help deliver a tennis-themed session to primary school children at Craigmount High School in Edinburgh. The Duchess joined the group to practice racket skills, bean bag tennis, balloon rallies, and relay races – fun activities designed to develop the skills needed to play a complex co-ordination sport like tennis.

Tennis on the Road, which has also won backing from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), aims to grow the game from the grassroots up by increasing and improving the coaching workforce in Scotland.

Inspired by the types of games and drills that Andy and Jamie Murray played when they were children, the initiative shows parents, teachers, coaches, students, volunteers and sports development teams how to deliver fun and engaging starter sessions to children and young teenagers.

“We were thrilled to welcome The Duchess of Cambridge to our session in Edinburgh and hope that she found the afternoon useful and a lot of fun,” said Judy Murray.

“Tennis on the Road is about inspiring and supporting parents, teachers, volunteers and coaches to increase participation and grow the game in their backyards or whatever space they have. You don’t need a tennis court to get kids started. It’s great to now have the LTA supporting the programme and I can’t wait for another action packed year on the road”

The launch was the first in a series of events which will see the roadshow travel across Scotland in 2016, particularly to communities that have limited existing activity. Tennis on the Road aims to build a workforce of local people to ensure everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the sport.

“We are looking forward to continuing to work with Judy and her team to take the roadshows around the country,” said David Marshall, CEO of Tennis Scotland.

“The 2015 roadshows proved to be a huge success in all corners of Scotland and the 2016 programme looks even better with revisits and new venues added to the tour.”