New name, same game for communities
Table Tennis England is putting a new spin on their project designed to help organisations introduce table tennis into the community. Previously called Loop in the Community, the initiative has been relaunched as Ping in the Community.
The name change is due to the project falling more naturally within the Ping! family alongside the Ping! festival and Ping Pong Parlours, which both bring free table tennis into the places people already spend time in their everyday lives.
The aims are unchanged. Ping in the Community will continue to help community groups and organisations get more active, healthy and closer together by supplying subsidised table packages containing everything required to get people, including disabled people, playing and enjoying the game.
Keely Armitt, Head of Participation at Table Tennis England, said:
"The 'Community' initiative aims to give all groups of society access to free or very affordable table tennis, and as such it aligns perfectly with the Ping! project which has successfully been delivering free table tennis in non-traditional places for the past nine years. Ping! has grown over time from a summer festival into a year-round project, with a vast reach, and the hope is that by embedding table tennis into community places, many more people will play the game regularly and enjoy the many health and well-being benefits this brings.
"Workplaces are still able to purchase subsidised table tennis packages through our Loop at Work initiative, and we also have a range of packages for the Clubhouse and Campus."
The project has been well received by group leaders, who recognise it as a powerful way to help integrate and socialise their communities.
Community group leaders, said:
"It keeps residents occupied, helps with their memory as well as interaction. It’s a social activity that most enjoy."
"Get’s people to join in, engage with everybody and is something anybody can do."
"It’s brilliant. Everyone’s involved, everyone’s enjoying it and it’s a great way to keep fit!"
Playing table tennis can improve mental well-being, cognitive function and can build confidence and self-esteem. It's an easily adaptable activity making it accessible for people with a range of impairments and long term health conditions. It doesn't require a change of clothing and can de played in flexible short bouts.
