An outdoor table tennis table has been set up in East Greenwich Pleasaunce.
The new equipment has been made available by the English Table Tennis Association (ETTA) as part of a new pilot project to promote participation in the game. 47 outdoor tables have been installed in parks and public spaces across London.
Diccon Gray (Delivery & Facilities Manager, ETTA) commented “Tables will be available for the public to play free of charge, have some fun and get a chance to find out other places to continue to play”.
Bats and a ball are available to borrow from the Pistachios in the Park cafe.
Elsewhere in the borough, tables have been installed in Avery Hill Park, Sutcliffe Park, Charlton Park and Eltham Park (South).
‘In London, 47 tables have arrived over the last month, from Dulwich to Regent’s Park, as part of a pilot programme from the English Table Tennis Association. Table-tennis tables in public spaces are a common sight in France, Germany, China and Ethiopia. Now they are finally taking off here. “We’re giving this a go,” says Diccon Gray from the association … the number of places to meet for a quick game will triple this summer with an initiative called Ping London, which will put 20 tables in Trafalgar Square in July, with a further 95 tables in busy areas from Tate Modern to Heathrow Airport (the bats will read, “Please put me back!”). “Ping-pong is probably the only sport where you can be an absolute novice, pick up a bat, and have fun,” says Colette Hiller, from non-profit arts organisation Sing London, which is orchestrating the programme.’ [Guardian, 2 May 2010 ]http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/may/02/table-tennis-park-ping-pong
Worth buying your own bat, etc, I should have thought: typically,
£20.00 bat
£3.50 for six balls
http://www.johnlewis.com/230720775/Product.aspx