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“What I’m looking forward to most is how we can expand the involvement in tennis at all levels across Shropshire.

“There are 36 clubs in the county. I’m looking forward to meeting the people who play at and who run those clubs, getting to know them and the volunteers who are doing so much for tennis across the county.”  

Mark, who is originally from Burnley in Lancashire, moved to north Shropshire from Derbyshire five years ago after a long career working in IT, leading technical and project teams all over the globe.

On relocating to the county, he quickly became involved with Wem Tennis Club, with an invitation to become a Tennis Shropshire trustee soon following.

He said: “I’ve been involved in tennis since I was 12 and actually involved in the management of tennis since I was 16 when I took up the treasurer’s role at my local cub in Lancashire.

“I moved to Shropshire, near Wem, and joined the local club. Within the first year, I was asked to join the committee and then became vice-chair. Fiona then offered me the role of vice-chair of Tennis Shropshire.

“I’ve been very fortunate since I am retired, so that’s given me the opportunity to put my time into the organisation and running of tennis, as well as finding time to play as well.

“Tennis has given me a huge amount over the years, so I’m now very pleased to be in a position to give something back.”   

Fiona added Mark will be an excellent chair for Tennis Shropshire.

“He’s going to be absolutely terrific,” she said. “Mark has a lot of experience of grassroots tennis. He’s a hugely enthusiastic tennis player and I know he’s going to bring a lot of energy and fresh thinking to the role, which will be really beneficial for the county.”