Husband-and-wife golf coaches honoured with national award for 'transforming lives' in Shropshire
A husband-and-wife golf coaching team from Shropshire has won a prestigious national award in recognition of their outstanding work.
Mark and Lisa Shervill received the Participation and Development Coach of the Year award at the 2026 England Golf Awards for their efforts to grow the sport and "transform lives" in the county.
The couple dedicate countless hours each week to outreach programmes at Lilleshall Hall Golf Club, making golf accessible to people of all ages and abilities.
Their innovative coaching pathway - built around mind, body, play and motion - is adaptable for participants aged six to 92 and ensures everyone can learn and enjoy the game in a supportive, confidence‑building environment.
The pair have also worked closely with the British Legion Battle Back Centre to create a covered coaching platform for severely injured and traumatised service personnel. Around 400 participants benefit from the initiative each year.
Mark said: "To win this award means the world. Getting the recognition for what we do obviously is a great honour, but it's more than the award.
"Every day that I coach, it's a passion, it's a purpose, and it's just a great thing to be able to share with everybody that I do help coach, and everybody at the golf club who supports us through our journey."
Through Crossbar Alternative Learning, Mark and Lisa support 10 young people each week, using golf to help build confidence, improve wellbeing, and teach positive behaviours. Their school liaison programme now engages two local schools, with 12 children actively involved.
Meanwhile, their Women into Golf programme has welcomed 187 women, with 135 progressing into club membership.
Their junior beginner pathway has supported 215 young players, leading to 45 new adult members, 10 county players, and five students progressing to US college golf programmes. A further 47 parents have joined through junior coaching alone.
England Golf said Mark and Lisa's dedication, compassion and expertise "continue to enrich lives" and make them truly deserving recipients of the national award.
Lisa added: "My proudest achievement of participation is getting as many women and girls into the game as I have.
"It's not just me, you've got to have the right environment, you've got to have the right team behind you, but to get over 200 through joining, starting, playing, enjoying it, loving it - that's the biggest and most proudest bit for me.
"I just want to encourage more women, more girls into golf and keep them playing golf and show them how wonderful a game it is.
"The trophy is definitely coming back to Lilleshall. We are going to celebrate with all the members of the golf club. This is as much theirs as it is ours. Without their support of the club, we can't do what we do. All the people that we coach, without their support, we can't do what we do and this is as much for them as it is for us."
