It was more than just the tennis balls bouncing at WER Joell Stadium on Wednesday morning as some of the island’s seniors contributed to a vibrant atmosphere on and off the court.

Nearly 60 “Treasures” aged 55 and over took part in an hour-long session put on by David Lambert, a former president of the Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association and previous coach of the national team.

Lambert, with the help of lead sponsor Aeolus Reinsurance and with the backing of the BLTA and the department of sport and recreation, offers a free session every Wednesday between 10am and 11am for seniors of all abilities as part of the Treasures Tennis programme.

And the positive atmosphere among the participants is infectious, with laughter and dancing breaking out in little pockets among the tennis. For Shurnett Caines, it is an experience to be looked forward to every week.

“Oh my gracious, Father, it’s fun galore,” Ms Caines said.

“We are seniors but we have a good time. Sometimes, as seniors, you don’t meet your own age group but you can come here, meet people your own age, have fun, exercise, we chat, some of the girls dance, the instructors are great and we have a great time.”

But it would be wrong to say that it is only fun for the seniors, with coaches Barbara Lambert, Eldon Daniels, Jacklyn Lambert, Tariq Simons, Barriett Dill, Gavin Manders, Derek Smith and Nannette Kiernan also uplifted by the positivity on display.

“It’s the light of my life every week and these people really are treasures,” said Dill.

“It’s great to see the joy in their faces and it’s incredible. We come every Wednesday rain, blow or shine. Sometimes the weather is not co-operative but they still show up. The joy is to see after the drills that they stay behind and play on their own, so it’s becoming a club.

“I’ve been here from the start. I started for a week, which became two weeks and then four weeks and now it’s become a staple of my life. We do a warm-up session before we go into our drills. We provide the rackets and balls for those who do not have them and people only need to show up.”

Tinée Furbert, Minister of Youth, Social development and Seniors, displayed some of her tennis skills as she showed the government’s support for the programme.

“This is absolutely a great initiative and it’s exciting to be here,” she said.

“It looks like it is an activity that our seniors enjoy and there is a lot of support here as far as coaches and physios. What’s great is to see the different ages and the encouragement given to each other.

“As far as the national seniors strategy is concerned we definitely are supporting initiatives where seniors have the opportunity to work on their wellness and we recognise ageing healthy and that incorporates a healthy lifestyle and physical activity.”

At the session, BLTA president Michael Wolfe revealed that the organisation’s usual $75 membership fee had been dropped to $10 for those seniors in the programme, with Aeolus Reinsurance picking up the shortfall.

That company’s chief analytics officer, Frank Fischer, was also present and underlined the reasoning behind backing the programme.

“David Lambert and his family have been a huge part of Bermuda tennis for so long and this is another way for us to give back to the community,” Fischer said.

“It’s great to allow the community to do things for free, so with the help of the government, we decided to chip in a few dollars.

“It’s great and there is a comfort in numbers. Maybe if you were out by yourself you wouldn’t want to do this but everybody here is having a good time, there is a lot of good chat and it is enjoyable to be around.”