Rally Good News. We Love Lichfield Serves Up Lifeline For Burntwood Tennis Club

Table tennis players in Burntwood have said a heartfelt thank you to We Love Lichfield for a ‘lifeline’ £1,000 award.

Burntwood Community Table Tennis club offers table tennis at Burntwood Leisure Centre to people of any age, race, gender or ability, and four mixed ability teams currently participate in local leagues. Plans are now in place to introduce a fifth league team this year. The club has been in operation over 25 years and was founded by former World Championships Table Tennis Umpire Brian Watkins. Club chairman Rob Birch recently met with Alex Keller from We Love Lichfield to show how the award has stabilised the club in the face of increased running costs.

“Table tennis is often called ‘the world’s best brain sport’ as it offers substantial cognitive and social stimulation and is arguably the fastest game on Earth,” said Rob.

“Table tennis offers a wide range of physical, mental, and social benefits, making it an accessible and enjoyable activity for people of all ages and fitness levels. “It is a low-impact sport that provides a full-body workout while challenging the mind.”

An accredited associate club of Table Tennis England, the UK’s table tennis governing body, members and visitors are mainly from the Burntwood and Lichfield areas. The club provides 10 tables including coaching for under-18s on Wednesday evenings from 7-10pm and daytime groups operate on Monday and Friday mornings. Social play is encouraged and the first session is always free. The club has a fully qualified and accredited coach for children’s training and also provides its tables to Burntwood Leisure Centre for community use.

Rob said: “Funding from We Love Lichfield has been a lifeline to help stabilise our financial position in the face of increased running costs and support us as we look to attract new members to further grow the club. “This year the club is introducing a fifth league team, Burntwood Bulls, which will comprise under-18s only and compete in the senior leagues.”

He added: “Table tennis is a very accessible sport – £1.06 per hour at Burntwood for a full member playing three hours per week for 50 weeks.”

We Love Lichfield panel member Alex Keller said: “I am delighted to see that our award has made a real difference in Burntwood. It was great to meet Rob and hear his enthusiasm for the club’s future.

“Under his passionate guidance as chairman and with the security of the We Love Lichfield award, it’s brilliant to see the club thriving to the extent that it is introducing a new league team. With all the social, physical and mental benefits table tennis has to offer, it is both accessible and enjoyable for everyone across the community.

“This is a great example of how long-lasting and sustainable the impact of an award from We Love Lichfield can be.”

Since starting more than a decade ago, We Love Lichfield has given away £462,000 in 500 awards to 230 recipients across Lichfield, Burntwood and the surrounding villages.

We Love Lichfield is one of the Community Foundation’s place-based funds and awards funding to a wide range of projects operating across the district of Lichfield, considering applications from local groups twice a year.

It raises money and then the returns are given away. Companies and individuals make up the bulk of the donors to the fund, either through direct donations, or by fundraising.

All the money raised is invested through an endowment fund in line with Charity Commission guidelines. The financial return from the fund is then distributed as small grants across the area.

The beauty of this model is that it will provide a source of sustainable funding that can be used for grants long into the future – it’s almost like a pension scheme set up to support community and voluntary groups across Lichfield.

Individuals and businesses can raise money for We Love Lichfield – fundraise or donate via Enthuse at https://cfss.enthuse.com/welovelichfield.

For more information, visit www.welovelichfield.com.

To find out more about Burntwood Community Table Tennis Club, visit www.activelichfield.co.uk/clubs/burntwood-community-table-tennis-club/.