Durham & Cleveland LTA is delighted to announce that John Schofield of Yarm Tennis Club has been named the North Region’s winner of the Outstanding Achievement category at the Aegon British Tennis Awards.
John has previously been named Durham & Cleveland LTA’s Outstanding Achievement category winner. This success saw John be put forward to a regional judging panel, who also recognised John’s achievements by announcing him as the Regional award winner for the same category.
John joined Yarm Tennis Club in 1966 and immediately became a driving force behind the development of the junior section. Upon qualifying as a senior coach, John helped to introduce numerous coaching programmes at the club, which now boasts one of the largest junior sections in the area - an outstanding achievement for an outdoor tennis facility. John, 81, is still an active member of the committee where he currently holds the role of Club President.
The Outstanding Achievement Award also recognised John’s involvement with disability tennis locally. This involvement, which spans 39 years, includes 25 years working closely with Schools for the Deaf and his efforts developing wheelchair tennis both locally and across the county.
In 1980 John helped to set up the Cleveland Coaches Association before joining the National Executive of the British Tennis Coaches Association. A key purpose of this group was to increase levels of participation amongst local children in tennis. John was instrumental in increasing junior tennis in the Stockton area through initiatives such as the Cliff Richard Play Tennis scheme and the Nestle Tennis for all Scheme. More recently, John has been a member of the Durham & Cleveland LTA County Executive Committee where he was elected President in 2006.
John, winner of the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Tennis, said:
“I am surprised but delighted to receive this acknowledgement and hope to continue for some time to come in furthering a game that has dominated most of my life.’
Pat Ross Secretary from Durham & Cleveland LTA added:
“It is an honour for Durham & Cleveland to have a regional winner in the first year of the Aegon British Tennis Awards. The contribution towards local tennis in Durham & Cleveland has been outstanding and the award is fully deserved. We wish John every luck as he now goes forward to be judged by a national panel for the title of national award winner."
The awards are a joint initiative between The Lawn Tennis Asociation (LTA), the Tennis Foundation, LTA partner Aegon and 40 local/national tennis associations, including Durham and Cleveland. The Awards reward and champion the people who deliver tennis in communities across Great Britain.
As a Regional Award Winner, John will now be put forward to a national judging panel who will determine overall winners for each category in the Aegon British Tennis Awards. Those successful will then be invited to attend the national Aegon British Tennis Awards ceremony in London on 4th July 2017.