College rallies behind table tennis academy after year of smashing success

COLEG CAMBRIA rallied behind a popular tennis academy which went from strength to strength in 2024.

The strategic partnership between Cambria and Table Tennis Wales has been a smash hit, with hundreds of players participating in community events over the last 12 months.

And there will be even more sessions for them to enjoy this year as Regional Development Officer for North Wales Aaron Beech unveiled a programme of activities to take place at the college’s Yale site in Wrexham.

In addition to junior coaching and community sessions every Tuesday, for children and adults of all skill levels, high school and primary school competitions will be held in the weeks ahead.

“We also have a new partnership with Parkinson’s UK Cymru and are inviting anyone with the condition, and volunteers and carers, to support us as we look to hold sessions throughout the year,” said Aaron.

“We have engaged with staff and learners at Cambria who are already helping with coaching and raising awareness and want to see even more people taking part over the coming months given the incredible response we have had to this point.

“We are creating safe space for people to play the sport while keeping fit, meeting new people – the women and girls-only ‘Inspire, Play, Lead’ events are an example of that – and for them to learn and develop their own coaching skills so they can take these sessions themselves in the future.

“We will keep building momentum among school pupils and the many adults who have joined us since collaborating with the college and are confident the Academy will continue to go from strength to strength.”

Aaron revealed as part of their “high-performance hub” they invested in new equipment – including 12 table tennis tables – and qualified coaches have trained more than 1,500 people of all ages since the scheme was founded in 2023.

He added: “We’ve had support from grassroots players and coaches and there has been a lot of goodwill towards this initiative,” he said.

“The skill and standards of participants continues to rise and as we predicted at the start, I’m sure one day North Wales will produce its own Olympic, World or Commonwealth champion.”

For more information and dates of upcoming sessions and competitions, email aaron.beech@tabletennis.wales or visit www.tabletennis.wales.

Visit www.cambria.ac.uk for the latest news and information from Coleg Cambria.