Helen Abbott, from Cotham Park Tennis Club, is to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from Avon Tennis.
The LTA-backed award is a testament to the exceptional contribution Helen has made to her club and to the County over many years.
A retired physiotherapist, Helen has championed making tennis available to all, no matter what their age or ability. She has been the Disability Network Coordinator in Bristol for many years and has worked with the LTA and the Tennis Foundation to bring greater awareness of the physical and mental health benefits of tennis for all. The Walking Tennis initiative, which she co-created, is now well established within the LTA, and rolled out across the country.
Helen will now go forward with other county winners to a regional judging panel for the south and south-west with the regional winners announced in April. The national ceremony will be held in London in July.
These awards recognise and applaud the people who deliver tennis locally and are split into nine categories.
Avon Tennis secretary Clive Sampson said: “The standard of entries this year was really high and I would like to congratulate all the winners. It is heartening to reward those who put so much effort into providing opportunities for others to play and enjoy tennis.”
To find out more about the LTA Tennis Awards, visit www.lta.org.uk/awards .
Helen Abbott, in red hoodie, with members of the Wheely Good tennis group she founded