Ping! returns to Exeter
The nation will be going batty again this summer when Ping! - the free street table tennis festival - bounces back for the sixth year running, now in 19 towns and cities, including Plymouth and Exeter.
Last years Ping! festival in Exeter was a runaway success and this year there are set to be more tables, in more locations so that more people can have fun and play.
A little taster of the excitement to be had this summer will begin with the #Ping Challenge at the Exeter Business Games in association with Big Wave Media on Wednesday 13 May from 5-8pm at Exeter Castle.
Twenty two local businesses are signed up to the challenge and there will be plenty of opportunities for participants to fine tune their table tennis skills. The Games provide a memorable way for businesses to team build, learn new skills and have fun, whilst raising money for local charities at the same time.
After the Exeter Business Games the table tennis extravaganza continues in June all around Exeter with tables in remarkable and surprising public places. The tables will be popping up in popular thoroughfares which prove just too tempting to resist; last year 30,000 local people joined in the fun, simply grabbing a bat from the side of the table and starting to play – absolutely free of charge!
The list of locations in Exeter will soon be released by Active Devon who aim to provide innovative ways of encouraging the people of Devon to get active and have healthier lifestyles.
As well as free play, Active Devon are arranging that each table tennis table will feature ‘Random Acts of Ping Pong’, a varied programme of master classes, competitions and free to join activities.
Ping! 2015 launches nationally on Saturday 13th June with the Exeter launch event taking place on Fri 19th June.
Katy Leonard the Coordinator of Ping! Exeter at Active Devon said “Last year’s Ping! project really caught the imagination of the people of Exeter. We hope that the Ping! Challenge at the Exeter Business Games will start the momentum building for the main launch in Exeter on June 19th. Ping! is something that everybody can genuinely get involved in. What’s not to love? It’s free, it’s fun, you can play with friends or strangers and when you’ve had enough, they’ll be a queue of willing people waiting to take your place!”.
Ping! is the creation of Sing London – the arts organisation whose work aims to lift the public’s spirit – and is funded by Sport England who cite it as one of their most successful participation projects, attracting over 1 million participants to date. Ping! is managed and delivered by Table Tennis England in partnership with local authorities and a wide range of creative and cultural organisations.
