Table tennis club bag new equipment

BARWELL George Ward Table Tennis Club Junior Coaching Scheme has been awarded £1000 from the recent vote in the Hinckley Tesco stores from the Tesco Bags of Help initiative.

The cash is a massive boost for the Project and will enable the scheme to purchase two new tables to replace old borrowed ones.

Tesco teamed up with Groundwork to launch its community funding scheme, which sees grants of £4,000, £2,000 and £1,000 – all raised from the 5p bag levy – being awarded to local community projects.

George Ward Table Tennis Club was one of the groups on the shortlist recently.

The project was started nearly four years ago using borrowed equipment.

There were only 12 youngsters in the beginning but the club has become the victims of its own success and needs to improve and enlarge the facilities available to cater for the numbers attending on a regular basis.

The club hopes to get young people playing sport aged 6-18, encouraging them to be more active and to get a sense of belonging.

Mike Holt Organiser of the Junior Table Tennis Project for George Ward Table Tennis Club said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been awarded this money, it will make a huge difference to the project and will provide the young people with additional facilities at their George Ward Community centre base.

“It will help us to ensure the project continues.

“Our sincere thanks to Tesco for their generosity and thanks to the people of Hinckley who supported and voted for us.”

Quite a number of the youngsters in the scheme are already benefitting having been recently selected for the County Junior teams and several are now beginning to climb the Table Tennis England Rankings.

In the latest list Alana Richardson currently occupies 22nd place in the Under 13 group and in the Boys Under 13’s Edward Brown has climbed up to 48 in the rankings with Ollie Wynne now at 121.

Coaching takes place on Monday evenings from 4-5.45pm at the George Ward Centre.

For more information contact club organiser Mike Holt on 07545476808.