SOUTH Wonston Table Tennis Club has been celebrating after they were awarded a special donation earlier this month.

The club was named one of Skipton Building Society’s Big 160 winners in its Grassroots Giving Campaign earning itself £500 in prize money.

Skipton’s group chief executive, David Cutter, said: “Skipton’s Grassroots Giving programme was set up to support groups who show commitment to their community, who could illustrate how they plan to evolve in the future and how the funding would be used to help secure the longevity of their great work. Typically these grassroots groups often struggle to secure vital funding due to their size.

“And this is what we wanted to change in launching this pioneering initiative. We now look forward to hearing the stories of the impact of our funding. Hopefully they will continue to flourish and remain the jewels in the crown of their local communities.”

Neil Shephard, a volunteer at the club, said: “This donation will enable more young players to participate in the sport which encourages them to take more exercise, with all the health benefits which that leads to. We’re delighted that we can now look at purchasing the new equipment which we really need to be able to expand our group.”