Local heroes from around the country have been honoured in the Area stage of the Cloudathlete Pride of Table Tennis Awards.
They were chosen from almost 140 nominations for the awards, which ensure that the volunteers who give their time and enthusiasm to help others enjoy our sport are honoured.
Four of the 12 categories in this year’s awards have Area winners – Tees Sport Coach of the Year, Bounce Club of the Year, Cloudathlete Volunteer of the Year and Young Volunteer of the Year.
The nominations in those categories and in the other eight categories have been forwarded to the judging panel to draw up shortlists for each award. All those shortlisted will be invited to the Pride Awards dinner on Saturday 22 March during the Mark Bates Ltd Senior National Championship in Nottingham, where the winners will be announced.
Table Tennis England Area Manager (South East) Alan Lane, who leads on the Pride of Table Tennis Awards, said: “The Pride of Table Tennis Awards 2024/25 have received more than 130 nominations, showcasing the incredible dedication and passion within our community.
“The standard this year is truly exceptional, highlighting the outstanding contributions of volunteers who make our sport thrive!
“Thank you to the Area Nominations Panels that had the difficult task of selecting winner from among the wonderful nominations.”
Andrew Wilesmith, Head of Development at Table Tennis England, said: “The Cloudathlete Pride Awards are our opportunity to celebrate the amazing work our members, volunteers, clubs, leagues and partners do in the sport.
“With the implementation of the Area team and the emphasis on working locally, seeing the local awards being presented to those making a huge difference locally, is particularly special. Having our Local Organising Groups and other local key people involved has been great to see.
“A massive thank you to all those who nominated people and congratulations to those nominated and those who won a local award. Without you, this sport wouldn’t have the impact it has.”
The Area winners, who operate across every aspect of the sport and play a key part in delivering the pledges of our Table Tennis United strategy are:
East
Tees Sport Coach of the Year: Harvey Stevens (Nottingham TTC)
Bounce Club of the Year: Stilton Table Tennis Club
Cloudathlete Volunteer of the Year: Jiten Gopal (Highfield TTC)
Young Volunteer of the Year: Zygis Kaminskas (Britannia TTC)
London
Tees Sport Coach of the Year: Hussein Juma (Kenton TTC)
Bounce Club of the Year: TJ Table Tennis Club
Cloudathlete Volunteer of the Year: Sarah March (TJ TTC)
North East
Bounce Club of the Year: Kelham Island Table Tennis Club
Cloudathlete Volunteer of the Year: Andy Chapman (Community TTC: Leeds)
Young Volunteer of the Year: Anees Khan (Bailden TTC)
North West
Tees Sport Coach of the Year: Janet Johns (Crewe Central TTC)
Bounce Club of the Year: Natland & Oxenholme Table Tennis Club
Cloudathlete Volunteer of the Year: Peter Leahy (Natland & Oxenholme TTC)
Young Volunteer of the Year: Hui Yeung Elliott (Altrincham Table Tennis Social Group)
South East
Tees Sport Coach of the Year: John McBeath (Waterside TTC)
Bounce Club of the Year: Graham Spicer Table Tennis Club
Cloudathlete Volunteer of the Year: Claire Kelly (Waterside TTC)
Young Volunteer of the Year: Thomas Griffin (Worthing TTC)
South West
Tees Sport Coach of the Year: Nick Davidson (Briston Table Tennis Academy)
Bounce Club of the Year: Plymouth Joola table Tennis Club
Cloudathlete Volunteer of the Year: Craig Mehew (St Austell TTC)
West
Tees Sport Coach of the Year: Adrian Pilgrim (Rugby TTC)
Cloudathlete Volunteer of the Year: Bob Whitaker (Nuneaton & District Table Tennis league)
Young Volunteer of the Year: Kaiser Williams (Bromley Table Tennis Club)
The full list of 12 categories in the national stage of the awards is:
- Great Northern Warehouse Inspirational Story of the Year
- Tees Sport Coach of the Year
- Technical Official of the year
- Bounce Club of the Year
- Bounce League of the Year
- Partner of the Year
- Tees Sport School of the Year
- Level The Table Award
- Contribution to Table Tennis
- Lifetime Achievement Award
- Young Volunteer of the Year
- Cloudathlete Volunteer of the Year
