We heard from one of our current Satellite Clubs at Bedminster Down School who have managed to do just that. The Satellite Club programme is a Sport England funded initiative which Wesport deliver locally. Dave Chaplin is the Head of PE at the school and has been involved in setting up a Table Tennis Club aimed at those who don’t usually get involved with PE or after-school clubs.
“The Wesport funding has been invaluable in helping to establish our new Table Tennis club. We had already started a fledgling club for a few weeks, due to the enthusiasm of a new member of staff, Mark Ambrose, who has played to a high standard and was really keen to start a club. However, the numbers were boosted by the new equipment that we were able to purchase with the funding, and that we were able to say was exclusively for Table Tennis club members.”
Dave told us that they had tried several times over previous years to get a table tennis club going, but had never been successful. He told us that Mark’s enthusiasm, combined with the funding, has finally enabled them to properly establish a weekly club with regular members.
A particularly pleasing aspect of the club is that it has achieved the desired target of involving pupils who don’t usually attend other PE clubs. Dave said; “We have some pupils who maybe don’t enjoy the physical contact nature of some sports, or the team environment, or just don’t enjoy being around some of the pupils who do attend our clubs, and it has been noticeable that the majority of the table tennis regulars are not pupils who we’ve previously seen at our after-school PE clubs.”
It’s great to hear that this is one club that listens to its members and knows how to appeal to its desired audience. They told us “Overall the club has been a real success, and we hope that this will now continue into future years.” As do we, Dave!
