Active Devon is celebrating all things Ping!Exeter with an event at Exeter Castle.

On Thursday 4 September, from 6pm-8pm, Active Devon will be holding ‘Ping of the Castle’, which will feature a workplace table tennis tournament, music and entertainment  - all in the name of Ping!Exeter 2014.

There will be food on sale as well with a chance for everyone to get active, have fun and enjoy a celebration of Ping! Exeter. All abilities and all ages welcome, there will be free for all Ping after 8pm at the castle. For more information visit www.activedevon.org/pingofthecastle or www.pingexeter.co.uk

To encourage some healthy competition Active Devon will be running a workplace Ping!Exeter tournament with teams of four entering to become ‘Ping of the Castle’.

There will be prizes on offer including Ping equipment that you can take back to the workplace to continue playing! To enter the cost will be £20 per team of four players which will include full access to Exeter Castle and the chance to win some great prizes. To book your team of 4 visit www.activedevon.org/pingofthecastle

Ping! Exeter has been in full swing since 17 July and has seen thousands of people across Exeter and the surrounding areas play table tennis.  Pictures have been posted on twitter and action from the Exeter landmark locations including Exeter Central station, Northernhay Gardens, Exeter Library, Princesshay shopping Centre, Southernhay and even the Quayside.

James Bogue, Senior Development Manager at Active Devon said: “The buzz from Ping Exeter has been incredible, everywhere you look people of all ages are having a go and enjoying the game. The key now is to support local communities to get active, with Ping playing a major part!”

Ping! Exeter is part of a national programme from Table Tennis England and Sport England in partnership with Sing London. Ping! Exeter is being delivered by Active Devon in partnership with Exeter City Council and Exeter City FC – football in the community.  It is one of 16 regions that have been selected to be part of Ping! this year, along with Birmingham, Brighton & Hove, Bristol, Bury, Cambridge, Cornwall, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Middleborough, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Oxford and Sheffield.

Exeter Councillor Keith Owen, lead councillor for Environment, Health & Well-being, shared his thoughts on the event: “Ping is a fantastic opportunity for people to have a go at table tennis, whether they are first-timers, club players or old-timers dusting down their bat from years ago. Here in Exeter we’re striving to become the most active city in the south west so the Ping Festival is a great way to do just that.”

In addition to free play, Exeter’s Ping! Tables have offered a programme of scheduled activities, including masterclasses and tournaments.  Exeter City Football Club in the Community have been holding a Ping Parlour every Monday and The Cavern in Exeter held a Ping tournament at a gig. There have also been the occasional ‘Random Acts of Ping Pong’ where you could expect the unexpected.

Ping! Exeter will be back next year – for more information contact Active Devon on active@devon.gov.uk or 01392 263674 for outline details to register your interest.