Am I in a Judy Murray fan club? No, but sign me up if there is one - Catherine Salmond

Today marks the end of Scottish Women and Girls in Sport week, an initiative designed to showcase projects across the country, highlight role models and increase participation.

Scotland on Sunday was privileged to be invited on the road with Judy Murray as she toured Aberdeen to bring her love of tennis to women and girls across the city.

It was nothing short of inspirational to watch Murray in action. Her timetable was jam-packed (with just one 30-minute break), the result of her insistence on cramming in as many sessions, with as many community groups, as possible.

And so, I observed a woman on a mission, hitting the road from 7am to 6pm, determined to get her message out – and with no desire for praise, payment or rest.

Am I in a Judy Murray fan club? No, but sign me up if there is one.

There was nothing tokenistic about her participation in the awareness week, the fifth of its kind in Scotland, aimed at getting women and girls more engaged with sport, particularly to feel the positive impact on physical, mental and social health post-pandemic.

It is well known that engagement in sport among girls often falls off in their teenage years with many issues, including perhaps being body conscious, frequently cited as concerns at play.

I watched as Murray loaded and unloaded bags of kit from her own car, which she then drove across the city, on a mission to 'tennisify' as many females as she could find, invigorating them with her infectious enthusiasm not only for the sport, but for having fun, being part of a team and enjoying a great time through physical exercise.

Judy Murray with Scotland on Sunday Editor Catherine Salmond. Picture: Conor Ross

She had women of all ages, girls of all ages, caught in her spell as she equipped them – sometimes in the space of only an hour or two – with some basic skills they needed to enjoy the sport once she had gone.

She was passing on her passion, her art and her excitement, well aware of the need for people like her – of which there seem to be very few – to inspire every generation to give sport a go and make it part of their lives.

The difference she was making to these women and girls felt real and potentially long-lasting.

“Up – the word I use most in all my coaching,” she told one group as she threw a ball. “Everything goes up.”

Onwards and upwards indeed.