2015 Aegon British Tennis Award winners announced
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Tuesday 28 June was a very special day at Wimbledon with the inaugural Aegon British Tennis Awards recognising some of the incredible achievements made in British Tennis in 2015.
The awards held at the AELTC celebrated some of the successes of volunteers, coaches, clubs, communities and players throughout 2015.
Our 25,000 volunteers are the lifeblood of British Tennis, without them we could not achieve our mission of getting more people to play tennis more often.
Ten winners were selected out of 1,500 exceptional nominations and received their award at a special ceremony at the home of tennis.
HRH The Duchess of Gloucester, Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Captain Leon Smith, Andrew Castle, Annabel Croft and LTA President Cathie Sabin where all in attendance to meet the guests and present awards to the winners.
Sabin said: "These Awards are a fantastic opportunity to recognise and thank our volunteers, clubs, communities, coaches and players for the generous time they dedicate to British tennis, and the genuine impact they have on our sport."
Award winners
- Aegon Player of the Year - Andy Murray
Andy has had a fantastic year, helping the GB Team win the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas for the first time in 79 years. In 2015, he reached the Australian Open final and finished the year as World No.2 for the first time in his career alongside being voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year for a second time.
- Aegon Young Player of the Year - Katie Swan
Katie reached a Junior world ranking of No.4 for age 18 & under and No.2 for 16 & under. She was a finalist at the Australian Open Juniors, quarter-finalist at Junior Wimbledon and also won a qualifying round at Wimbledon beating world No.118. Katie was also shortlisted to the final three for the Pride of Sport Awards, Young Sports Personality of the Year 2015.
- Community Venue Award - Cannon Hill Park
Cannon Hill Park opened in June 2015, making a huge difference to the community. The park has a free court booking system which 1300 local people from all backgrounds use. The park also offers free two hour family coaching sessions every Sunday as well as regular learning disability and wheelchair tennis sessions.
- Aegon Coach of the Year Award - Mark Love
Mark is Head Coach at Purley Bury Tennis Club and runs year-round initiatives including Mini Tennis, Tots groups, LTA tournaments, Tennis Leaders courses and training sessions for adults. In addition to this, Mark offers free tennis assemblies and workshops at over 20 local schools and has set up Coaching for Girls to inspire female players.
- Disibility Programme Award - Glasgow Disability Tennis
Glasbow Disability Tennis was set up in 2016 and has grown to provide deaf, learning disability, visually impaired and wheelchair tennis sessions. In 2015, the programme visited 32 schools and linked with Glasgow Sport and community disability groups.
- Education Award - Edinburgh University Lawn Tennis Club
Edinburgh University Lawn Tennis Club had 270 members in 2015, making it one of the biggest and most successful clubs at the university. The club has seven teams competing weekly including the Men's 1st team who compete in the BUCS Premier division. The university club has a strong volunteer culture and open up opportunities for students to get involved in tennis through coaching, training and competing.
- Highland Spring Club Award - Burnley Tennis Club
Burnley Tennis Club have doubled their memberships in the past year with its strong links to the community, schools and colleges. The club offers many free and affordable activities and runs a varied programme including competitions, coaching, Tennis Xpress, Cardio Tennis and Great British Tennis Weekends.
- Young Volunteer of the Year - David Cheer
David Cheers is an all round role mode who has a real passion for helping younger children to get playing more often and to improve their games. At just 18-years-old, David volunteers five days a week whilst studying for his A-Levels and training for his Level 3 Coach Qualification.
- Volunteer of the Year - Patrick Hollwey
Patrick founded Tennis for Free (TFF) in 2004 with Tony Hawks. His vision is to see TFF operating in every council across the UK. Patrick currenty spends 3-4 days a week volunteering at TFF and his local club encouraging people of all ages and social backgrounds to come together and play tennis for free.
- Outstanding Achievement Award - Olive Brown
Olive is 83 years old and has been involved in tennis her whole life. In 1984, Olive introduced the ratings scheme in Avon which at its peak reached 16 tournaments in the county as well as the first Junior Ratings events. Olive has been involved in tennis through many different roles including: LTA councillor, LTA full time employee, LTA Avon President (2007 - 2012), coach, referee and trainer.
