SOUTH Wonston Table Tennis Club is celebrating a grant that has enabled it to expand.

The club has been among 20 benefitting from Winchester City Council’s Sports Legacy Grants Scheme.

The grants offer up to £500 to help with equipment, coaching training or extra sessions.

South Wonston Table Tennis Club was recently awarded over £7,000 from Sport England and coupled this with a legacy award of £500 to buy new tables, nets, balls and also offer a range of sessions on Thursdays and Fridays by head coach Paddy Shepherd and Coach Martyn Davey.

Club membership has grown to involve over 100 new participants since September 2013.

David Binns, club chairman, said: “The Legacy Grant scheme has really helped our club offer new sessions and get new faces through the doors. The new equipment and extra days, such as our Friday evening drop-in session, have helped to increase our offer. We’d welcome any new faces so please come down and see what we have to offer.”

Cllr Rob Humby, Deputy Leader at Winchester City Council with portfolio responsibilities for sport, said: “The Legacy Grants Scheme was designed to offer our local voluntary and community groups the opportunity to raise sports participation across the district. The scheme has done this with clubs from Denmead, Littleton, Meonstoke, Winchester City, Knowle and more receiving funding.”

The deadline for the scheme is January 31.