Ping! bounces back to Bournemouth & Poole

Ping! Bournemouth & Poole is back - and this year it's bigger and better than ever! The free street table tennis festival will see over 25 ping pong tables springing up across Bournemouth & Poole's landmark locations, including Poole Park, Sandbanks Beach & Tuckton Tea Gardens. The tables will pop up from 19th June to 31st August; to join in the fun, simply grab a bat from the side of the table and play - free of charge!

Bournemouth & Poole is produced by Active Dorset in partnership with Bournemouth & Poole Borough Councils. It is one of many regions that have been selected to be part of Ping! this year, along with Blackpool, Bradford & the New Forest. Last year over 750 tables were placed in public spaces of 21 towns and cities, with 1.8million visits to the tables over the summer.

James Day, Active Dorset Sports Development Officer, commented; "We are very lucky to have sustained a Ping! legacy in Bournemouth and Poole and I am very excited looking forward because of how successful the project was last year. This summer, alongside your old favourites, there are brand new tables in a variety of fantastic locations so just pick up a bat and start playing!".

The Ping! Bournemouth & Poole festival launched with a ping pong bonanza at Falkland Square, Poole on Monday 19^th June. There was free play for all and, for those that were up for the challenge, a chance to battle the Table Tennis Robot!

Bournemouth Portfolio Holder, Councillor Robert Lawton, said: "Ping is a fun way to get everybody more active together. You might even discover areas of the town you aren't as familiar with. I'm delighted that Ping is returning and I urge you to head out and track down the tables for some free family fun!"

The festival, funded by Sport England, is completely free to take part in; there are no catches, no hidden charges – all you have to do is grab one of the bats and balls provided at the tables, find a willing opponent and get playing! The aim of the festival is to get the nation active and enjoying playing ping pong and to build a community of participants who want to continue playing table tennis long after the festival is over.

Visit the table finder and enter your postcode to find your nearest table; www.pingengland.co.uk/bournemouth.