There is a dedicated team responsible for the development of tennis across Lancashire. Here you can find out more about these people and their current roles within Tennis Lancashire Ltd.

Tennis Lancashire Organisation Structure

Dawn Hepworth – County President

David Shaw is a Former Professional Tennis Player and  was Great Britiain No.1 U18 in 1982. David is a LTA Level 5 Coach and Director of Tennis at Stonyhurst College.

Chris Mansour - Chairman

Chris became Chairman of Tennis Lancashire in 2025 having previously been Vice Chairman. Chris is our LTA Councillor and head of our Sponsorship Committee. 

Les Atkinson - Company Secretary
Les became Secretary of Tennis Lancashire in 2009 having been involved in the County for many years. Les is a former Teacher and Tennis Development Officer and has a wealth of tennis coaching and competition experience.

Mark Pearson - Finance Director 

Mark became Finance Director of Tennis Lancashire late in 2023. He plays tennis regularly at his local club including for the club teams and holds several roles on the committee of Bolton Tennis League including that of Chairman.

Rob Hemmings - Participation Director

Rob has been chairman of Hillside Lawn Tennis club since 1999 and chairman of the Southport & District Tennis League since 2018.  He has been a member of the Tennis Lancashire Council since 2016 and became Tennis Lancashire Participation Director at the start of 2024.  He is particularly interested in helping tennis clubs and other venues to survive and grow.

Phil Rimmer - Performance Director

Phil is Chairman of the Performance Committee and also serves as captain of the Lancashire Men’s Seniors 45 & Over team. He is the Chief Executive Officer of the Rowan Learning Trust, a role through which he brings valuable leadership and organisational skills to his work with Tennis Lancashire.

Neil Adams - Competition Director

Neil is an R1 referee with many years of experience officiating County Cup events and Grade 3 competitions, including the Lancashire Tennis Championships and the Wigan Open. He is also the Head Coach at Robin Park Tennis Centre.

Dawn Hepworth - County Welfare Officer

Appointed County Welfare Officer in October 2022, Dawn Hepworth has played club tennis in Liverpool since around 1984. She has held a number of committee positions, including Lady Club Captain and Honorary Secretary in her club, Blundellsands Lawn Tennis Club. Dawn is a partially retired career civil servant, having worked in a number of different departments since 1982.

Tony Knappett - EDI lead

Tony is the Tennis Lancashire EDI lead and also leads the Open Court programme. Tony represtented Great Britiain in Wheelchair tennis and a career high of 75 in the world in 2008.

Sarah Hillier - County Tennis Co-ordinator 
Sarah has worked in Lancashire in various roles since 2012 and has been the County Co-ordinator for Tennis Lancashire since 2014. Sarah is an experienced coach and competition organiser and co-ordinates all of the County's tennis activities.

Danielle Gallagher - County Coach
Danielle is an experienced tennis coach and was appointed as County Coach in the summer of 2019.  She now oversees the delivery of County Training, supports the team captains and also liaises tennis coaches across Lancashire.