Tennis success is something that Milton Keynes based charity, MK Ace Tennis, are experiencing on weekly basis. On Saturday 20^th February, over 100 people gathered at the Ramada Encore Hotel to celebrate the successes of 2009 and award the players for their commitment and achievements. The evening was further enhanced with a very special visit from The Mayor of Milton Keynes, Councillor Euan Henderson, who delighted in presenting the awards.

MK Ace Tennis was formerly known as The Community Tennis Club, a not-for-profit club which was started in 2002. In October 2009, the club changed its name and branding to widen its appeal and having applied to become a charity in December 2009, the club has recently been granted charitable status. MK Ace Tennis has 3 primary objectives; Personal Development, Facilities and Campaigning. Tennis has always been seen as an exclusive sport but MK Ace Tennis will make tennis affordable and accessible to all.

The night was hosted by MK Ace Tennis Chief Executive and Head Coach, John Cavill, who has been delivering tennis in Milton Keynes for the past 11 years. John opened the evening by firstly thanking all the sponsors which includes The Grove Independent School, Fit 2 Deliver, In-Zone.co.uk, Pitch, Tecnifibre, Ramada Encore Hotel, miltonkeynes.com, Virgin Active, Tennis Works and Cruise Decorating. These supporters make a huge difference to enabling MK Ace Tennis to deliver tennis and without their support, certain projects would not be possible.

Throughout 2009, MK Ace Tennis have taught over 1800 children in schools, 352 people in the weekly programme and over 800 children during the holiday camps. They currently operate the weekly programme and holiday camps from Shenley Brook End School, Woughton Leisure Centre, Hazeley School, Oakgrove School, Heronsgate School and Walton High. The charity also has a club link with Stony Stratford Tennis Club, where people who wish to join a club are encouraged to go. Stony Stratford Tennis Club is also where the performance players train and play. Another major event from 2009 included a visit from the former world number 5, Jo Durie, and her long standing coach, Alan Jones. The internationally experienced duo ran a master class for some of the performance players and gave some great feedback to the academy coaches and parents.

Towards the end of the presentation, all participants from the MK Ace Tennis programmes were presented a medal from the Mayor with special awards going to Tom Cunild (Under 10 Improver of the Year) and James Marchant (Under 14 Improver of the Year). Credit was also given to 17 year old Ryan Bond, who took the Contribution to Tennis award for his commitment to assisting in the programme and helping children develop. Winner of the Tennis Works Grand Slam Series, an all-year event that allows players to compete based on ability and not just age, went to Thomas Wilkes (Mini Tennis Orange) and William Roberts (Under 16 full court).

The MK Ace Tennis Player of the Year Cup and the Under 8 Improver of the Year Award went to a very talented individual who had an amazing 2009. 8 year old Lauren Armstrong took the title for her achievements which included winning the Mini Tennis Orange County Closed Tournament, winning 2 Indoor series events, representing the Region in a National Competition and winning all her matches and establishing her place as one of the top 10 players in the UK for her age group. Further to this, she has been invited as one of 16 players from across the UK to play in the Masters Event at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton in March.

At the end of the evening, John Cavill said, “This evening has been great for everyone involved to share all the success from 2009. Every year I get to stand up and present good news, but this year has been especially special as MK Ace Tennis becomes a charity, as this will enable us to get even more people involved. I’d like to congratulate all the players, especially Lauren, who is still very young but hopefully has an exciting journey ahead of her. Although the evening was about presenting awards to the players, you can never forget the parents, coaches, admin staff, trustees and sponsors who without, none of this would be possible. We are all looking forward to an even more successful 2010 and the fun that comes with it.”

Released: 22 February 2010