National #TableTennisDay was the spur for one club to build a relationship with their local council – leading to new opportunities for table tennis players in the area.

Britannia TTC in Ipswich were one of dozens of clubs to get involved in the day, which is a celebration of our sport and a chance to engage current and new participants.

Britannia put together a plan in partnership with the Ipswich and District League, to take table tennis to the Ipswich Borough Council Offices in the centre of town. The club borrowed some tables for the day from Table Tennis England, recruited some keen local volunteers and applied for the #TableTennisDay goody pack.

On the day, the team transported and assembled the tables into the Ipswich Borough Council offices. Apart from providing sparring partners and welcoming chat, the volunteers armed themselves with various implements, such as a tiny bat, frying pan and even a balloon. The Keepy-Uppy challenge proved too easy for BTTC member Thomas, who scored an impressive 274 in one minute, prompting everyone else not to bother, but the most fun was probably the games of Round The Table, one of which included the IBC Chief Executive.

In addition to the event at the Council Offices, it was also arranged that table tennis at Ipswich sports centres would be free of charge for the day.

Following the event, there has been discussion of internal competitions at the Council, and also a new table installed at the Town Hall for members of the public to use.

BTTC Chair Martin Tomes said: “We wanted to mark the day and get closer ties with the local council, so put in the cheeky offer to move into a meeting room at their head offices for the day. The response we got was excellent, and a steady number of staff tried it out, some revealing all too obvious latent talents.

“To get such an outcome of a free table at the Town Hall plus outdoor tables in two more local parks was an unexpected bonus, but it showed that fortune favours the brave! Our club and local league volunteers put in a lot of effort as always, and with the loan of the tables from Table Tennis England, it was a good team result.”

Britannia Table Tennis Club are a Table Tennis England PremierClub and also Clubmark accredited. For more information, click here to visit the Club’s website.