BOLDON JOY AFTER CLUB OF THE YEAR TRIUMPH
LAWN TENNIS CLUB WINS BIG IN DURHAM AND CLEVELAND AWARDS
Boldon Lawn Tennis Club have been crowned Durham and Cleveland’s Club of the Year following a successful 2018 season.
The club, based in Dipe Lane, East Boldon, have run several new initiatives in the past year, encouraging people of all ages toget involved in the sport.
And now their hard work has been rewarded, after winning four awards at the recent Durham and Cleveland LTA awards night.
The event was held at the Stadium of Light after several clubs from across the North East were nominated in a range of categories.
Boldon, which has six outdoor courts at the club, were up against some strong competition but marked a memorable night by winning four awards at the event.
Head Coach Stephen Gilbert won Coach of the Year, while Boldon’s Iain Williamson landed the Volunteer of the Year award.
Meanwhile, the Educational Award was won by Dame Dorothy Primary School in Sunderland, where Boldon have run a successful programme allowing children and their parents to play tennis.
The winners will now be put forward for the regional LTA North awards next month, which covers a large diverse area including Northumberland, Cumbria, Durham and Cleveland, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cheshire and the Isle of Man.
Regional winners will then be put forward for the national awards which will be held at The All England Club, Wimbledon later this year.
Jane Nell, chair of the committee at Boldon Lawn Tennis Club, was delighted with the club’s success, after not entering last year’s awards.
“As a club that’s run by volunteers it’s great to see the efforts of the people who volunteer, along with our fantastic coaching team led by Stephen Gilbert, acknowledged by our regional Lawn Tennis Association,” she said.
“Much of our success is because of the links that we’ve made with the local community, including an extensive programme in local schools, to make tennis accessible to as many people as we can.”