Last month, table tennis clubs, community groups and members of the public across the West Midlands were invited to submit their very own table tennis table top design to mark the arrival of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Entries closed in June and since then judges have deliberated over a wealth of great designs, and can now reveal the winning design is that of 11-year-old Charlotte Ashby of Coventry Table Tennis Club. Charlotte is pictured above with a sneak peak of part of her design.

Charlotte said: “I was very happy with how my design turned out and it will be really exciting to see it recreated on a public table. A lot of our friends and family are going to Birmingham to watch the Commonwealth Games this summer, so I hope they’ll all get to see one of the special tables. I’ll definitely be playing on one – I’ve already challenged my dad to a game!”

The winning design fulfils the criteria of ensuring it demonstrates some of the key values of both the Games and Table Tennis England, including equality, diversity, wellbeing and community.

Charlotte’s winning design will be officially unveiled on July 26 at Handsworth Park, B20 2BY. The design will feature in a total of six public park locations across Birmingham, for all to see. The locations are:

Calthorpe Park and Well-being Hub
Selly Oak Park
Perry Hall Park
Perry Park
Handsworth Park
Cotteridge Park

The aspiration is to raise the profile and appeal of table tennis within parks, particularly during the summer months, widening the reach and visibility of the sport. As more people engage with table tennis, our hope is to embed a lasting legacy from the Commonwealth Games not only within the public spaces, but within the hearts and minds of the public for many years to come.

Why not host an event to provide an opportunity for new people to get into table tennis and create a lasting legacy from the Commonwealth Games? We’ve created a toolkit to help organisations and individuals stage events – click here to download a toolkit.