The Ping Pong Parlour in Walsall’s Saddlers Centre has been a roaring success since opening during the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham a year ago.

As the Parlour celebrates its first birthday, opening times have been extended and Saturday coaching sessions have started with local club Cheslyn Hay TTC. 

The centre has four tables and, in the first five weeks of opening, more than 16,000 visits were made. The Parlous has continued to be positively received by local people of all ages and the opening times are now 10am to 5pm daily.

Table Tennis England Partnerships Manager, Colin Eley, said: “The Walsall Ping Pong Parlour was introduced during the Commonwealth Games and it’s great to see this Commonwealth legacy continue to contribute to the health and wellbeing of local people.”

A new initiative at the Parlour sees a coach from Cheslyn Hay Table Tennis Club attend on Saturdays from 10-12pm to provide tips, hints and basic advice on table tennis, free to anyone who would like to learn more. 

Councillor Gary Flint, Portfolio Holder for Wellbeing, Leisure and Public Spaces at Walsall Council, said: “The Ping Pong Parlour is a fantastic community resource in the Saddlers Shopping Centre, which is being well used and respected by all ages. Activities like ping pong are a fun and free way of keeping active. The Parlour has been used by hundreds of Walsall families over the last year. I would like to congratulate everyone involved in its successful first year.”

Melvin Glasby, Saddlers Shopping Centre Manager, said: “We’ve been surprised at how popular the tables have been. It’s such an accessible sport, appealing to all, that it works as a shopping centre asset and is great for the people of Walsall.”