Hilda Moore, of Marlborough Tennis and Wiltshire Tennis Committee member has been awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 2026 New Year’s Honours.
Hilda Moore has made a huge contribution to grassroots tennis over 45 years involvement in the sport as a volunteer and coach. After beginning to play tennis in Glasgow, volunteering at Titwood Tennis Club from age 19, she joined Marlborough Tennis Club in England after moving for work. After a number of years involvement with the club, she joined the committee in 2000 and was then elected as Chair in 2002, a role she held for nearly 20 years.
Hilda’s strong leadership and enthusiasm as Chair enabled the club to thrive. She was the driving force behind a move to a new site, leading fundraising efforts and overseeing a successful planning application to secure the future of the club at its new location for the long term.
After initially starting sessions for juniors when she joined the club, Hilda qualified as a coach in 2004 and has since delivered opportunities for hundreds of young people to play tennis every year. Hilda also established the cross-sport Marlborough Sports Forum, running annual events for over 150 children across a dozen sports and building links across the local community. Hilda’s passion for ensuring that tennis is accessible for all also led her to recently start walking tennis sessions at the club, to provide opportunities for people who are less mobile to play.
Despite stepping down as Chair, Hilda remains incredibly enthusiastic about getting more people into tennis. She is a club trustee and committee member with responsibility for coaching, and also sits on the committee of her county association with responsibility for providing support for tennis venues across Wiltshire.
In recognition of her contribution to tennis, Hilda was also recognised as the Lifetime Achievement Award winner at the 2025 LTA Tennis Awards.