Over-50s Black Men Forum’s growing work in Birmingham received a special boost last week, when the great Desmond Douglas MBE joined members at the O5BM Birmingham Community Table Tennis Health Hub at Handsworth Wellbeing Centre.
BBC Midlands TV Journalist Kevin Reide also attended the weekly session to film O5BM’s work in Birmingham and explore how table tennis is being used as a gateway to physical activity, friendship, social connection, mental wellbeing and healthier ageing among older black men.
Click here to read the full BBC article. A feature also appeared on the BBC Midlands Today main news bulletin on Monday evening.
The evening was made particularly memorable by the presence of Douglas, one of Britain’s most celebrated table tennis players and a man with deep roots in Handsworth.
Des grew up in Handsworth before going on to an extraordinary international career. He became an 11-time English National Champion, reached No 7 in the world, represented Great Britain at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games and was awarded an MBE for services to table tennis.
His return to Handsworth was therefore about much more than sport – seeing a black man from the local community rise from Handsworth to the highest levels of international competition provides a powerful source of inspiration.
During the evening, Des spent time speaking with members, reconnecting with people he had known growing up in Birmingham and, fittingly, getting back on the table to play with participants.
He also spoke to BBC Midlands as part of its coverage of the O5BM Birmingham programme, telling them: “I think at this sort of age, especially if you’re retired, you have bad thoughts and I think just getting out, being active, walking, playing sport for a while you forget all those thoughts and mentally you’re in a happier place, and physically.
“So that’s what you should try to do really, just keep active.”
More than table tennis
The visit captured what O5BM’s Community Table Tennis Health Hubs are designed to achieve. Table tennis provides an accessible way for men to become physically active, but the wider purpose is to create trusted spaces where relationships can develop, isolation can be reduced and conversations about health and wellbeing can happen naturally.
This reflects O5BM’s Men Connected model: Participation → Connection → Trust → Prevention & Earlier Engagement → Healthier Ageing.
The Birmingham hub is part of O5BM’s wider expansion of this community-led approach, demonstrating how sport can become a practical route into better health, stronger social networks and sustained engagement with men who may not always connect with traditional health services.
O5BM is grateful to Anne Goodall, Health and Wellbeing Programme Manager at Birmingham City Council, and Mark Brown, Handsworth Wellbeing Manager, Wellbeing Service, Handsworth Wellbeing Centre, for their continued support for the Birmingham hub.
The session demonstrated what can happen when community, sport, health and partnership come together around a shared purpose.
The O5BM Birmingham Community Table Tennis Health Hub meets every Tuesday from 7-9pm at Handsworth Wellbeing Centre, Holly Road, Handsworth, Birmingham, B20 2BY
Sessions are free to attend, tables, bats and balls are provided, and beginners are very welcome.
To join O5BM, register free here.
