As the National Lottery reaches its 25th anniversary, we are celebrating the huge positive impact it has had on table tennis – and thanking all those who play.

Since the first draw on November 19, 1994, the National Lottery has invested more than £5.7 billion into community sport, helping people live active lives.

Table Tennis is no exception, with countless thousands of people supported to play the sport in clubs and leagues across England, or to try it for the first time in a wide variety of locations.

As the graphic below shows, the influence and legacy of the National Lottery extends through the sport, underpinning grassroots projects, mass participation initiatives and elite performance.

Through investment principally by Sport England, projects including Be TT, TT Kidz, Bat & Chat, Satellite Clubs, Ping!, Loop and Ping Pong Parlours have been funded, giving people across the country the opportunity to be active and to play, enjoy and achieve in the sport.

Meanwhile, UK Sport, through the Aspiration Fund, is investing in the elite level and supporting the Team GB table tennis athletes to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

This is all made possible by those members of the public who play the National Lottery, so we want to say one simple thing to all of them – thank you!

We are not the only sport marking the 25th anniversary of the National Lottery. Sport England has released a short film, entitled Because You Play, which shows how funding from the National Lottery has been crucial for grassroots sport across the UK, with athletes and participants showing their thanks for everything that has been achieved, including improved facilities and more opportunities to play, changing lives at grassroots level.