Thousands of people inspired by the Olympics and Paralympics sampled table tennis at two locations in the south west.

Cabot Circus in Bristol (pictured above) featured public tables every day from 10am to 8pm for the duration of the Paris summer of sport, with well over 3,000 people enjoying the sport for free.

Hannah Lomas, Marketing Manager of Cabot Circus, said: “Customers are loving it! The tables have been in constant use.”

Meanwhile, in St Austell, the Table Tennis for Good initiative had a series of sessions for people of all ages and abilities, including 10 people with Learning Disabilities from local day centres.

Local coaches ran specific activities across six days of activation at the two venues, which alone engaged with 250 people.

Table Tennis England Area Manager Amanda Leonard was on hand to help visitors find a club to join by using the Table Finder facility on this website.

There were also lots of visits from members of the wider table tennis community, running demos, chatting to people about opportunities and giving coaching tips. Leading coaches Nick Davidson, Emma Harradine, Mark Tanner and Craig Mehew were among those running activities.

England International Louis Price, who launched the events in Bristol, said: “It’s clear table tennis has huge potential in the south west. Coupled with the buzz around the Olympics, with kids of all ages playing throughout the day – It was a pleasure to see.”

Allan Brookes, Chair of St Austell Table Tennis Club, said: “It’s great to see so many young people having a go at table tennis, the more the merrier.”

Bill Holland, Town Centre Manager in St Austell, added: “This is fantastic, we want to give people something interactive and this is a great initiative.”