Ping! to expand thanks to National Lottery and Government funding

Table Tennis England has confirmed it will be expanding Ping!, the street table tennis project this summer, for the eighth consecutive year, thanks to £250,000 of National Lottery and Government funding.

This follows the announcement by Sport England last week of a major portfolio of investments designed to get more people playing sport regularly. Some of this funding will be invested in tackling inactivity through mass participation programmes such as Ping!, which has a proven track record of being able to deliver in this area.

Ping! places free ping pong tables in public spaces all over England and by providing bats and balls on tables in the summer, removes barriers to exercise and makes physical activity more readily available to previously inactive people.

This summer all existing Ping! towns and cities will relaunch their festivals; and for first time Blackpool, Bradford and the New Forest will be bringing tables to landmark public locations and to their communities too in the drive to help more people feel able to take part. There will be a series of events around the Ping! tables for the general public such as 'Name your weapon' or 'King of Ping' and for specific groups 'Over 55s Bat and Chat' or 'South Asian Ladies Wiff Waff'.

Last year over 750 tables were placed in public spaces of 21 towns and cities, with 1.8million visits to the tables over the summer. 19% of the participants have reported they were previously inactive and 96% said they would play again enables busy people to play as part of their existing lifestyle and while the festival has an emphasis on fun and with tables popping up in all sorts of unusual places, from railway stations to stately homes, the aim is to make a meaningful difference to people's lives.

To find your nearest Ping! table visit www.pingengland.co.uk.

SOURCE: Table Tennis England