Clubmark awarded to Heversham with Milnthorpe Tennis Club
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9th July 2008
Heversham with Milnthorpe Tennis Club has recently become the first tennis club in the South Lakes to achieve the prestigious Tennis Clubmark Award. Along with Chatsworth Tennis Club, Carlisle, who received the award at the same time, the Clubs are the first in Cumbria to achieve the honour and join a select group of only 18 nationally to have reached the required standard.
Tennis Clubmark is the LTA’s club accreditation programme and achieving it means that the LTA endorses and supports the tennis programmes delivered by the Club on court and the policies and procedures put in place off court. It is a confirmation that the Club is effectively managed and provides a safe environment for junior members to enjoy and play tennis.
Heversham with Milnthorpe Tennis Club has been in existence for over 40 years.
Formerly a small village club base at Milnthorpe, it formed a successful partnership with Dallam School and moved to its present Heversham site in 1996. Since then the Club has expanded and developed into one of the most successful clubs in the region.
With Head Coach, Jon Griffin, overseeing the coaching programme, the Club’s juniors many of whom have County honours, now compete in National Junior Leagues and Competitions at U16, U14 and U12 levels. Last year the U12’s reached the national quarter finals, this year the U14’s have reached the third round. The best of the juniors all make significant contributions in the senior local leagues.
The Club’s strength in depth enables it to maintain 2 teams in each of the Mixed, Mens and Ladies First Divisions of the Kendal & District League. The mixed first team regularly win the League, whilst the men’s firsts, spearheaded by two countyU16’s David Smith and Max Shaw, are currently on track to win the league title.
Chairman of the Club, Graham Honeybone, said “It is a great privilege to receive the Tennis Clubmark Award. It has taken us about six months of hard work this winter, but the effort has all been worthwhile. A special thanks to those Committee Members who worked tirelessly to make this happen and to Joanna Cunliffe from the LTA for her tremendous support. We now intend to build on this by developing our mini-tennis programmes for the younger children, starting in the autumn.”
Tony Hesmondhalgh, President of Cumbria LTA and the County's representative on the LTA Council said ' I am delighted that the Club has received this recognition. It is a fitting reward for the important contribution the Club is making to the development of tennis in the south of the county and is a demonstration of its part in the delivery of the LTA's 'Blueprint for British Tennis.'
The club will be presented their Clubmark award by the LTA on Tuesday 15th July at the Tennis Club, Dallam School at 6.30pm.
For more information, or to join the club, contact Cathy Honeybone on 015395 52502.