Congratulations to Generation 2 players for their performance in the South Hampshire Table Tennis League.

Runners Up in Division 2, 2022
Left to Right: Matt Dennison, Amy Jones, Sam Yu. (Wai Wong absent as currently in Hong Kong)

Long time club member Graeme smith has recently retuned from the Romanian border of Ukraine where he was involved in delivering food, medical supplies, clothes and ‘other stuff’ which has been generously donated by the people of Gosport and Hampshire. The thoughts of the club were with him despite missing training and matches!

The trip was in conjunction with @Jacobswell charity, run by the Pottinger family who have been tirelessly sending aid to Romania since 1992. Please do visit their Facebook page to see what they are doing on a daily basis.

As Graeme explained, “you have to witness the kindness and incredible effort of these people to believe it .they literally don’t stop. Seeing the faces of the Ukrainian people was heart breaking they are crossing the border in minus 12 degree conditions and people are dying. But on the positive side the incredible work of Ovidiu and the crew at the border camp fills your heart and inspires you to keep going so please take a look at the work they are doing and give what you can…let’s create a better world than the one that’s been ruined by the corrupt governments of this world”.

Generation 2 TTC has been awarded a grant by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Foundation  for the amount of £2021 which has enabled the club to enhance its training methods following the purchase of 2 Newgy 2055 robots that can be seen in action in  the video with Generation 2 TTC junior club members in a normal Friday night training session, the grant award has also enabled the club to put 3 club players on a TTE level 1 coaching course later in the year.

South Today pays tribute to Charlie

The loss of Charlie Childs, club founder, lead coach and inspiration to so many, in March 2020 was a blow to us all at the club, made even worse by the Covid-19 lockdown and the inability for the club to come together and remember him. We were eventually able to put that right with a celebration of Charlie’s Table Tennis life on Sunday 15th August 2021, made possible by both the club and Charlie’s family.

Charlie’s Big Day began with a Barbeque in the playing field at Fareham Academy. More than 150 current club members, former club members, family members and representatives came together on a blustery summer’s day. A number of club members brought their Barbeques along and began cooking up a mountain of burgers and sausages.  A finger buffet food was also provided by the Child’s family. 

Sandra Deaton and Priya Samuel, Chairman and TTE board member also attended and following a moving speech, Sandra announced the establishment of a Coaching grant scheme in Charlie’s name. To help establish the scheme, the club and Charlie’s family both handed over cheques for £500. A collection was also started for those who wished to contribute to the scheme. 

Events then moved inside the school.  Former protégés of Charlie’s, Lois Peake, Letitia McMullan, Annabelle Baker (formerly Morle) and Ugar Saglik, played an exhibition match in the school assembly hall, umpired by Dave Wiles and compered by Tim Currass. Lois and Ugur took on Annabelle and Letitia putting on a fantastic display of table tennis with some incredible rallies. In the end, Lois and Ugur were too strong for Annabelle and Letitia but the match was a fitting tribute to Charlie and his coaching and mentoring skills in particular. 

Ed Sault of BBC South Today arrived in time to record the exhibition match and conducted a number of interviews with members of the club afterwards. The news piece was aired on BBC South Today on Monday 23rd August 2021 and can be seen here [insert link].

The Big Day continued with a festival of Table Tennis. A Table Tennis Disco, complete with glitter ball and laser lights, accompanied by MIke Cooksley’s playlist, took place in the Sports Hall. The giant top table event created a real buzz, with players rotating in and out of the play. In the gymnasium, four tables were set up for free play. With all tables continuously in use, old and new players socialised and remembered Charlie in the best possible way. Play continued into the early evening until it was time to pack-up.

The day was a fantastic way to remember Charlie. Thanks goes to everyone who came along and helped make it such a success and of course to Mike Cooksley and all of those who assisted in its organisation. The way the club, old and new,  came together to hold the event is a testament in itself to the inclusive, close knit table tennis family that Charlie created. 

As deputy Chairman of Table Tennis England, Charlie’s work encompassed governance of the sport but also a strong involvement with women’s and disabled table tennis, and a grant scheme for continuing development in these areas was announced by Sandra Deaton, Chairperson of Table Tennis England, details of which can be found here. 

Please read the separate website article for details of the recent event in celebration of Charlie’s life and contribution to the success of our table tennis club.

Charlie Childs support and devotion to table tennis is set to continue with the announcement of the ‘Charlie Childs coaching Grant’ by England Chairperson Sandra Deaton and the celebration event held on Sunday the 15^th of August.

Click here show your support by making a donation

The Charlie Childs Coaching Grant will:

• Provide support for those looking to start or continue on their coaching journey
• Support coaches to increase youth, women and girls’ and/or Disabled People’s participation in the sport
• Support coaches’ continuous development
• Support individuals to inspire others to be involved in leadership positions with the sport

Download pdf for printing

Details of the grant coaching scheme on the TTE website can be found here