An Abingdon resident and experienced tennis referee, Alison Jackson has been crowned a national winner at the prestigious LTA Tennis Awards.

Ms Jackson, 65 scooped the LTA’s (Lawn Tennis Association) Official of the Year Award after being recognised for consistently going above and beyond in tennis and becoming an Oxfordshire role model in the process.

The tennis star operates at Appleton with Eaton Tennis Club and has adapted innovatively to the demands of the Covid-19 pandemic, showed a willingness to learn and implement new restrictions and made a consistently outstanding impact on tennis both regionally and nationally.

She was presented the award by Great Britain Davis Cup captain Leon Smith OBE.

Ms Jackson said: “I got into refereeing because both my daughters played competitive tennis, and I've been at tennis tournaments, and I was interested in it.

“There was an advertisement on the Oxfordshire LTA website wanting more referees in the county, so I went on the training course and really enjoyed that.

“I'm very proud that I've been selected to run so many county cups – both adult and junior ones – and I do enjoy that.

“It's always very satisfying to bring them to a successful conclusion, particularly if you've had to fight the weather.”

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The LTA Tennis Awards have now been running for six years and celebrate the achievements and contributions of outstanding tennis volunteers, coaches, officials, venues and players across the country.

Ms Jackson was picked as one of 16 national winners recognised at the awards ceremony, which honoured individuals involved in tennis at grassroots, county, regional and national level.

Nominations were drawn from more than 25,000 volunteers, nearly 5,000 coaches and 1,000 officials, 22,000 schools, nearly 3,000 clubs and more than 9,000 LTA approved tournaments, with Ms Jackson recognised for her inspirational work in the area.

Those giving the award said she has helped ‘blaze’ a trail for tennis officiating across Oxfordshire, highlighting that she immediately recognised the importance of delivering Covid-secure tournaments and showed a sustained appetite for immersing herself in the strategies being employed by the LTA.

Ms Jackson was described at the ceremony as an experienced referee who works tirelessly to ensure her competitions run smoothly, are diverse and inclusive, and that the environment they take place in is safe for all participants. During the pandemic, she produced Covid guidance tailored to the individual requirements of each competition and came up with innovative ideas to enable events to go ahead.

To find out more information about the LTA Tennis Awards or for information on how to play, coach, volunteer or officiate in tennis, head to www.lta.org.uk.

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