Volunteers’ ace work is recognised

TWO Newcastle residents who have won national accolades for volunteering have said investment into tennis facilities and opportunities for more people to play can change lives across the region.

Wendy Glasper was named Volunteer of the Year at the 2017 British Tennis Awards.

She received a Pride of Light Award from Prime Minister Theresa May in recognition of her work with a successful network of visually-impaired tennis sessions in the region.

Glasper (pictured below) set up and runs the foremost VI tennis programme in the country, with weekly sessions running in the region off the back of her first VI club at Sunderland Tennis Centre and the Northumberland Club in Newcastle.

She said: “The importance of indoor facilities for these VI groups cannot be underestimated.

“Playing indoors means the groups can play tennis all year round in a sheltered venue.

“It would be wonderful for my VI programmes if we had access to even more indoor facilities.”

Rachel Doyle began volunteering as part of the awardwinning Northumbria Student Volunteer Programme and feels her university experience has been hugely enhanced by the range of opportunities provided.

She said: “Once I began volunteering in tennis I found a new motivation for my course and new ideas about what to do after university.

“With more tennis facilities and programmes available around the region, it is exciting there can be more opportunities than ever for students like me to be involved in volunteering.”

Joanna Cunliffe, Regional Participation Manager of the Lawn Tennis Association, said: “The dedication of Wendy and Rachel demonstrates the importance of volunteers to tennis in the region and we are proud of the awards they won.”