On July 18, people from across the country came to together at schools, clubs and public spaces to play table tennis on National #TableTennisDay.

The annual event focuses on allowing everyone an opportunity to participate in table tennis for a day and how they may continue in the sport afterwards. On the day, 13 schools across the country hosted festivals for their pupils and local community focusing on allowing children and young people the chance to play.

One festival in particular, in Marylebone, saw 79 girls participate in table tennis through fun games and activities. The #ThisGirlCanPing festival held its first annual event at the Greenhouse Centre in Central London which invited schools across London and Essex to come together for an exciting introductory session on table tennis.

A total of 10 schools attended, bringing female students aged between 11 and 15 years old with a wide range of abilities, from having played within the prior month of the event to having never played table tennis before.

The festival allowed the girls to stay within their school groups and move between stations and experience different games and activities. Goody bags and raffle prizes were provided by the Jack Petchey Foundation and Ransome Sporting Goods which included bats and balls, T-shirts and a table tennis robot for their school!

If you would like to express an interest for your school to host a festival next year, please write to [email protected] or call on 01908 208878 for more information.