Halton Table Tennis Club has become the first in the country to be awarded the new Clubmark accreditation.

The Widnes club was presented with the certification at the recent Women’s British League event, with club chairman Karen Tonge MBE receiving it from Table Tennis England Deputy Chairman Susie Hughes.

Clubmark is the universally acknowledged cross-sport accreditation scheme for community sports clubs and demonstrates that a club provides the right environment to ensure the welfare of members and encourages everyone to enjoy sport and stay involved throughout their lives. An accredited club is recognised as a safe, rewarding and fulfilling place for participants of all ages.

The Clubmark process changed for table tennis clubs in November 2016 and the whole accreditation process is now completed through a Club Matters portal.

On January 30, Halton Table Tennis Club became the first table tennis club to complete Clubmark since these changes to the accreditation were made, having worked closely with Table Tennis England assessor Andrea Holt to complete the accreditation in a little over 12 weeks.

Karen Tonge MBE said:

“We are delighted to be the first club to go through the new Clubmark process. It shows Halton’s commitment to being a welcoming and well-run club where everyone can enjoy and achieve in table tennis, whatever level they want to play at.

“I would encourage all clubs around the country to go through the process and get their Clubmark accreditation too.”

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