Table Tennis England’s Ping in the Community project has joined forces with major leisure provider Everyone Active to expand its offering of table tennis and to bring all the benefits of the game to the wider community.
Everyone Active’s leisure centres will be offering a number of sessions tailored to suit the needs of different groups. These include ‘Bat and Chat’ sessions, where a game of table tennis, cup of tea and a natter are enjoyed by older people in a relaxed and friendly environment; inclusive sessions with adapted equipment to enable people with disabilities to develop new skills; or sessions to help people with mental health difficulties improve their self-esteem and reduce stress and anxiety.
The emphasis throughout will be on the sociable aspect of the game, and supporting inactive people to lead a more active and healthier lifestyle. As a low-intensity, fully-inclusive activity, table tennis offers people of all ages and abilities the perfect solution for reducing stress and anxiety, improving self-esteem and cognitive function, and developing social skills.
Keely Armitt the Head of Participation at Table Tennis England said:
We are delighted to be joining forces with Everyone Active, who manage over 170 leisure centres nationwide. Our partnership will enable their leisure centres to provide all the benefits of social table tennis to thousands more people, in a way that suits their needs.
Louise Chaves, Regional Activities Manager at Everyone Active, said:
Working with National Governing Bodies such as Table Tennis England is hugely beneficial to helping us achieve our mission of encouraging more people to be more active. We are really excited to have Table Tennis England as a partner and look forward to offering table tennis to more visitors at our sites across the country.