Free ping-pong tables have been installed all over Nottingham as part of the ‘Ping!’ festival, which has returned to the city after a year away bigger and better than ever.
‘Ping!’ is an annual summer event which lasts for six weeks and is organised by Table Tennis England, it will also involve ping-pong master classes and competitions. The event takes place in 19 different cities across the UK.
Julie Snowdon, Marketing and Media Officer for ‘Ping!’ said: “It’s great fun, good for health and easy to learn. The aim is to get as many people as possible playing the game free of charge.”
There will be 10 tables dotted around the city, all supplied with paddles and balls which can be found at: Nottingham Castle, Nottingham Playhouse, by the Train Station, Smithy Row, Trinity Square, Game City, Forest Recreation Ground, Lakeside Arts Centre, Wollaton Park and Woodthorpe Grange Park.
The tables have so far proved popular with Nottingham residents.
Video: Passers-by have their say on the new ping-pong tables.
Two Nottingham bars, The Bowery Club in Hockley and The Lacehouse bar in Broadway have jumped on the ping-pong hype by installing tables in their venues off the back of last year’s festivities.
Julie Snowdon, Marketing and Media Officer for ‘Ping!’ said: Having ‘Ping!’ tables in public spaces in 19 different towns and cities all over England is a brilliant way to bring about a sense of community spirit as well as inspiring people to play sport more often.
“With social table tennis on the rise, we take the game out onto the streets, where we can reach thousands of people each day. There are no barriers to playing table tennis, absolutely anyone can pick up a bat and have a go, young and old, expert and novice, able and disabled alike.”
We chose Nottingham as one of our Ping! cities due to it being a vibrant and culturally diverse city.
Julie Snowdon, Marketing and Media Officer for Ping!
Julie believes that Nottingham has embraced table tennis over the years: “It’s thriving in universities, schools, clubs and on the social scene.”
The ping pong tables will be set up across the city for six weeks for the public to use.
