Bede’s wins at the Tennis Sussex LTA Awards

Bede’s School was awarded the ‘Outstanding Services to Tennis Sussex’ award, highlighting the school’s exceptional contribution to tennis in the county. From hosting all tournaments for the Sussex Schools Championships to sponsoring the County Championships, Bede’s has continuously demonstrated its dedication to nurturing tennis talent at both local and regional levels.

Under the leadership of Francesca Byrne, Head of Tennis at Bede’s, the School has developed a comprehensive year-round tennis programme that caters to players of all skill levels, from county-level to national-level competitors. The School’s Tennis Academy provides top coaching for development players and Bede’s state-of-the-art facilities help pupils reach their full potential.

Francesca Byrne expressed her gratitude at receiving this award, stating, “It is fantastic that Bede’s has received recognition with this incredible award. We hope to keep working closely with Tennis Sussex to continue to promote the growth of tennis within the county and inspire local young players.”

Bede’s Sixth Form pupil Ella also won big at the awards ceremony – coming home with both the ‘Rising Star in Tennis’ and ‘Coburn Plate’ awards. She has been recognised for her work as a Young Persons Welfare Ambassador for the LTA (one of just 25 nationally).

She designed a ‘bag tag’ to give to Juniors at the Club with information about herself and her role, alongside the Club’s Welfare Officer as points of contact if they have any safeguarding concerns. The idea being that all Juniors have these attached to their tennis bags so that they have this information to hand. This has been hugely successful and the LTA are looking to roll it out to all LTA venues nationally.

Overall, a successful evening for Bede’s Tennis! To find out more about tennis at Bede’s, please visit www.bedes.org/sport.