Lynn Glaves - Chairperson/County Teams/Performance/Trustee

Lynn is a retired secondary school Physics teacher who co-ordinated the tennis activities at her school.

She has been involved with Cumbria Tennis both as a committee member and in the role of Vice Chair before becoming the Chairperson in March 2025.  She first became involved with Cumbria Tennis as a parent. Her children have played for the county and gained scholarships to play tennis in the USA.  They have both captained their respective University and Cumbria county teams.

Lynn is also a keen tennis player, playing at both Kirkby Lonsdale and Heversham and Milnthorpe Tennis Clubs in the South Lakes.

Roger Alston - Secretary/Trustee

Roger worked in Education as well as being the Head Teacher of a large Secondary school in Cumbria.

He was the CEO of an Academy Trust in the North East of England and the Chair of an Academy Trust in Newcastle.

Roger has played club tennis in Somerset, Bristol and Carlisle and recently represented Cumbria in Veterans County Matches.

Rob Cresswell - LTA Councillor for Cumbria/Trustee

Rob is the Franchise Manager for Jaguar Land Rover UK for whom he has worked for over 20 Years.  His background is in finance, sales and marketing and he has experience of operating at CEO and Director Level.                                  

Rob's involvement in Tennis is, since 2015 he was the Chairman of Cumbria Tennis but stepped down after his 9 year term came to an end.  He is also the Chairman and an active member of Penrith Tennis Club.

Since January 2024 Rob has also become the LTA Councillor for Cumbria.

Sophie Graham - Treasurer/Trustee

Sophie is a Chartered Accountant with over 20 year's experience including involvement with Charities and other Not for Profit organisations.

Sophie's involvement within tennis is, she was a Junior player herself but now leaves that to her two young children who have both been lucky enough to have played for the County at U9's and U8's.

Nykia Herron-Ash    - Social Media /Marketing Trustee

Nykia is the Creative Marketing & Admin Coordinator for the charity organisation Anti Racist Cumbria.

She is also the owner of Magpie Creative - a business providing marketing & social media solutions.

She is originally from the USA. She played both USTA leagues and club-level leagues at Calabasas Tennis & Swim Center in Calabasas, California. She has previously trained with Coaches Mary Pat Faley, Brad Gilbert & Nick Bollettieri.  She was also an assistant coach for the boys varsity tennis team at The Buckley School in Sherman Oaks California.

Nykia looks forward to applying her tennis knowledge and love for the game towards advancing tennis in Cumbria.

Jessica Spedding -  

Jessica is a Lawyer with a wealth of experience in various property matters and is also Chair of Governors at a local primary school.

She joined the Cumbria Tennis Board in 2024 and stepped up as a Trustee in 2025 inspired by her involvement in the sport through her children.  Passionate about creating opportunities for others, Jessica is excited to help drive the future in tennis in the County.  She fully intends to dust off her own racket soon - but for now, she's enjoying cheering on the next generation from courtside

Gary Payton - Cumbria Tennis Development Officer/Tennis Coach

Gary has been involved in playing, coaching and developing tennis for almost 50 years. He started playing competively at 11 years old and took on his first tennis coaching role in Dubai at the age of 17.

He was also Tennis and Sports Development Officer at Kirkby Stephen Grammar School for 16 years and Head Tennis Coach at EF International School in Torquay for 5 years.

Gary has won 4 national singles titles and as twice represented Great Britain in the World Team Championships.

Debbie Payton - Administrator

Debbie was a Civil Servant for nearly 20 years working in Administration, Finance, Payroll and Management information systems. 

She also worked in various other administration roles and ran 2 successful businesses of her own.

Debbie's background is in Admin and having been married to Gary since 1997,  she's spent many years travelling with him to various tennis tournaments.