AMANDA FOXTON
– CITATION
Amanda
Foxton has been involved with Wiltshire tennis for over 30 years both for
Pewsey Tennis Club, where she is now President and also Wiltshire LTA. When
Amanda joined Pewsey Tennis Club the membership was modest, under 50 but is now
a thriving 300+. Initially she enjoyed playing match/social tennis but soon
developed an interest in junior tennis. In 1989 she was appointed Chairman of
the Club, serving 4 years. In 1993 she attended a Tennis leader’s course and
immediately the numbers of juniors being coached increased to 130 –she also
inspired juniors by taking them to
Amanda
is well-known in the local community and also found time to organise the tennis club float for the Pewsey
Carnival(one of the largest in the south-west) for the benefit of juniors.
In
1996 she became the Wiltshire clubs representative/Junior Secretary on
Wiltshire LTA Management Committee at a time when clubs were being encouraged
to develop their facilities, increase junior tennis and provide coaching at
clubs and local schools –all of which was tackled with her usual boundless
enthusiasm.
In
1996/97 she was appointed Wiltshire LTA Club Development Officer and helped Rob
Lindeman (Pewsey Tennis Club Chairman) prepare the successful lottery/LTA bid
for a new clubhouse and courts. The bid took 2 years, was successful and at the
time was the largest awarded to Wiltshire at £60,000.
In
2000, after completion of the new clubhouse, which she helped paint, Pewsey
tennis Club was nominated as the LTA Club of the Year for 1999 – a proud honour
for the Club but largely due to Amanda’s hard work.
In
2003 Wiltshire LTA honoured Amanda for her outstanding contribution to tennis,
an honour richly deserved. In addition to the several positions she held with
Wilts LTA she is a dedicated tournament referee and had run numerous LTA ranked
tournaments at Pewsey and is still fully involved in the Wiltshire Junior
Closed Tournament. At club level she remains an enthusiastic committee member
and the Club’s President.
Amanda’s
enthusiasm for tennis and encouraging juniors to play remains as strong as ever
today as it was in the 1980s and she has helped create a wonderful welcoming
atmosphere at Pewsey Tennis Club.
Both
Pewsey Tennis Club and the Wiltshire LTA Management Committee believe and
recommend that Amanda should be honoured by the LTA with a Meritorious Service
Award –an award she richly deserves and it would be fitting if the honour is
bestowed while she is still actively involved in Wiltshire tennis.
Colin
Gratton, Chairman of Pewsey Tennis Club and Clubs Representative on the
Wiltshire LTA Management Committee
23rd
August 2011