Recognition for tennis volunteers in New Years Honours List 2024
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The contributions of individuals from across British tennis have been recognised by His Majesty The King in the New Years Honour List 2024.
Christine Windmill has been awarded an OBE in recognition of her contribution to tennis in Scotland. Ian Hewett, immediate past Chairman of the AELTC, and Sanjay Bhandari, LTA Board member, both were awarded MBEs. They are joined by Jenny Frow from Bewdley Tennis Club in Worcestershire, who has been awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to tennis in Worcestershire.
Scott Lloyd, Chief Executive of the LTA said, “On behalf of the LTA and the whole of British tennis, congratulations to all of those honoured today. It’s heartening that all of those who have been honoured have given so much of their time to British tennis in a voluntary capacity. All of those to receive awards today have made an important contribution to tennis in Britain, and their recognition in this year’s honours list is thoroughly deserved."
Christine Windmill OBE
Christine has been involved in tennis both in her native Scotland and across Britian for many years. She played Junior Wimbledon at the age of 15 and subsequently went on to become a qualified coach. She remains a LTA Level 4 Coach to this day. But her work in Scotland has encompassed far more than just coaching. She immersed herself in all aspects of the sport, organising tournaments, fundraising and officiating.
Her extensive volunteering eventually led to a place on the Tennis Scotland board, from there she was asked to become the first President of Tennis Scotland. She was in this role when Andy Murray won his first Wimbledon title.
She represented Tennis Scotland as an LTA Councillor and now represents Seniors Tennis GB. Seniors Tennis GB exists to promote tennis for the over 30s and organises a comprehensive competition structure for different age groups. Christine served as Chair, 2020-2023 and sits on a number of the Seniors Tennis GB committees.
Christine still competes herself and plays regularly both for her club and in her age group category. She remains committed to the sport and believes in it as a game for life.
Ian Hewett MBE
Ian was a partner for over 25 years with Freshfields, a leading international law firm and joined the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) Committee in 2002.
He succeeded Philip Brook as Club Chairman in December 2019. His three year term encompassed the challenges of COVID, which led to the 2020 Championships being cancelled, and the 2021 Championships being played with reduced spectator capacity. The 2022 Championships saw the introduction of play on the middle Sunday, and a ban on Russian and Belarusian players due to the war in Ukraine. 2023 heralded new Champions in Carlos Alcaraz and Markéta Vondroušová.
Ian was Chairman of the Wimbledon Foundation for 7 years from its formation in 2013 until January 2020. The Wimbledon Foundation is the official charity of the ALETC and The Championships. It runs a number of programmes, primarily in the London Boroughs of Merton and Wandsworth.
Sanjay Bhandari MBE
Sanjay has been a member of the LTA Board since 1 August 2021 as an Independent Non-Executive Director. He is a member of the Audit Committee, and the Inclusion Advisory Group.
Sanjay has a portfolio career as a board member, business adviser and charity trustee. He is experienced in driving cultural change through equality, diversity & inclusion strategies and also has a passion for sport and activity. Sanjay is Chair of Kick It Out (English football’s equality and inclusion charity) and is a trustee of Greater Sport (the Local Active Partnership seeking to get 2m people active in Greater Manchester)
Outside of sport, Sanjay is Chair of the Satellite Applications Catapult which seeks to catalyse innovation in the UK space industry and advises a number of businesses on innovation and growth strategies embracing disruptive technology. He is a Non-Executive adviser at the law firm Travers Smith.
Jenny Frow BEM
For more than 45 years, Jenny Frow has been a passionate and active member of Bewdley Tennis Club, and has served its members through multiple roles including committee chair and club president.
She joined the club in the 1970s, and immediately became an active member of the club, turning it into a thriving part of the local sports community. A growing women’s membership, new clay courts, and new booking technology have all been championed by Jenny, as she has worked to open the club up to as many people as possible.
Throughout her long service at the club, Jenny has made a significant and lasting contribution to the development of more opportunities for women and girls to enjoy participating in tennis, including through her Term Time Tennis (TTT) initiative. Jenny set up a three-hour activity for women during school term time, securing funding from the Wyre Forest District Council and Bewdley Town Council to support the club with the initiative. An hour of tennis either side of an hour of chat with biscuits and a cup of tea, with rackets provided for those who needed them, helped significantly increase female membership at the club.
Jenny has also championed inclusion by supporting the club’s wheelchair players, ensuring that accessible facilities are available for all.
After decades of dedicated service to Bewdley Tennis Club and the Herefordshire and Worcestershire LTA, Jenny was awarded the 2022 LTA Lifetime Achievement Award. She remains an ever-present figure around the club, continuing to help with club tournaments and activities.
