Stratford-upon-Avon Deputy Mayor, Kevin Taylor, who is also Chairman of Stratford-upon-Avon Table Tennis Club and Project Leader for PING! Stratford-upon-Avon has recently completely an epic 21-hour table tennis marathon in support of his local hospice.
Last year Kevin was approached by the Town Council Chaplain Roy Lodge MBE, himself a prolific fundraiser for the Shakespeare Hospice, to create a sponsored table tennis event to celebrate their 21-year anniversary.
Originally the Club were planning to complete a 21-hour marathon with many players involved, however Covid-19 scuppered their plans, so Kevin determined to find a way of ensuring the event took place somehow as the hospice faced almost financial ruin. Kevin told us;
Having lost both of my parents to cancer in my mid twenties no one truly understands how important hospices and their associates are until your life is subjected to conditions such as cancer. I’ve never forgotten how my parents were cared for and treated by the most amazing people who knew there was never going to be a happy ending for us all.
Kevin decided to complete the entire 21-hours himself on the newly installed Ping! table at the Alveston Manor Hotel. Playing against any opponent that came along including the current Mayor and many previous Mayors and Councillors, along with local retailers and club members, Kevin gamely battled his way through the entire 21-hours raising over £2000 in doing so.
It’s not too late to donate to Kevin’s JustGiving page, if you’d like to help please visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/kevin-taylor39
https://www.facebook.com/ShakespeareHospice/posts/10159028169179175
Table tennis in Stratford-upon-Avon
After playing as a junior, Kevin didn’t play again until four years ago and was surprised by the lack of opportunity to play in his adopted home town of Stratford so strived to make the game more accessible to his community. Stratford-upon-Avon Table Tennis Club was created in July 2019 and in October that year Ping! Stratford-Upon-Avon was launched with seven public tables. Since then, and despite Covid-19, the project has had an amazing impact on the community and will be hosting an outdoor table tennis tournament on 20th September.