Our new partnership puts mental health first

Table Tennis England today marks World Mental Health Day by announcing an exciting new partnership with the mental health charity Sport in Mind.

The Ping in the Community project has joined forces with Sport in Mind to expand their offering of social table tennis to help aid the recovery of people experiencing mental health problems and to combat social isolation.

Sport in Mind work in partnership with the NHS to provide weekly sport and physical activity programmes to help improve the lives of people experiencing mental health problems and have to date used table tennis to support more than 1,000 people.

With 1 in 4 people experiencing a mental health problem each year, sport and physical activity is a fantastic tool to help improve mental well-being, physical health and to combat social isolation. Table tennis offers a low intensity, fully inclusive activity which reduces stress and anxiety, improves self-esteem and cognitive function, and develops social skills.

Although Sport in Mind has predominantly worked with people in Berkshire, the charity will be working with Table Tennis England on a Sport England programme to support people across the South – encompassing Dorset, Sussex, Kent, Hampshire, Surrey, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

Neil Harris, Sport in Mind CEO said:

It’s fantastic news that Sport in Mind will be partnering with Table Tennis England on this new project. We look forward to working closely with such a proactive National Governing Body to provide hundreds of people experiencing mental health problems the opportunity to improve their health and well-being through table tennis.

Jade Griffiths, Participation Programmes and Insight Officer at Table Tennis England added:

We’re delighted to be working with Sport in Mind to build on the great work they currently do with people who experience mental health problems. Through working together we’re aiming to increase the number of inpatient units that offer table tennis as an activity, as well as grow the number of community sessions for those who leave in-patient care, for them to continue with the activity and continue to improve their mental health.

To kick-start the partnership, Sport in Mind will be provided with three fully funded table packages within community venues. These packages will grow the number of opportunities for Sport in Mind’s participants to get involved in table tennis and the hope is this will inspire many other community locations and inpatient units to introduce the project.

For more information on how Ping in the Community can help bring all the well-being benefits of table tennis to groups click here

Sport in Mind® is the independent Berkshire mental health sports charity formed in Reading in 2011 to use sport and physical activity to help aid the recovery of people experiencing mental health problems and encourage individuals to move their lives forward in a positive direction. Click here to find out more.

Author: via Table Tennis England
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