Table Tennis England staff really are going the extra mile(s) in September in support of SportsAid.
We are aiming to cover 5,921 miles between us – the equivalent distance from our head office in Milton Keynes to Tokyo, host city of the 2020 Olympics – to complete the #MyMiles challenge in support of the charity.
With 43 staff and 30 days to complete the challenge, we will have our work cut out – it works out at about 4.5 miles per person, per day. We will be walking, cycling and running towards that total.
It is all part of SportsAid Week 2019, which runs from September 23 to 29 and aims to raise money for the charity, which supports the country’s most talented young sports stars as they strive to represent Team GB and ParalympicsGB at future Olympic and Paralympic Games.
More than 1,000 athletes across more than 60 sports receive grants each year. The majority are aged 12 to 18 and receive an average award of £1,000. Among the young table tennis players to have received funding in recent years are Charlotte Bardsley, who was named SportsAid athlete of the month last November, plus Denise Payet, Helshan Weerasinghe, Amirul Hussain, Ruby Chan, Josh Weatherby and Jasmin Wong, plus para player Felicity Pickard.
Paul Drinkhall, who competed at London 2012 and Rio 2016 and will be aiming to qualify for Tokyo 2020, is also a SportsAid alumnus, as is para world champion and Paralympic medallist Ross Wilson.
The is still time to sign up to take part in SportsAid Week 2019 yourself – click here to request your free fundraising pack.
As well as the #Mymiles challenge, you could organise a bake sale, a sports quiz, a bucket collection or any type of event you wish. Click here to visit the SportsAid website for more ideas and information.
All the money raised assists athletes with training and competition costs, including equipment, accommodation and transport, during the critical early stages of their careers. The initiative also acts as an opportunity to shine a spotlight on SportsAid and the work the charity does to provide athletes and their parents with support at the beginning of the talent pathway.