Enjoy some free ping pong during a table tennis street festival taking place in Chelmsford. 

Ping!, the table tennis street festival, is now halfway through and Chelmsford City Council has received an overwhelmingly positive response from the city’s residents and visitors.

Chelmsford is one of just 19 cities and towns selected to take part in Ping! Free-to-play ping-pong tables, with bats and balls supplied, have been placed around the city so that anyone passing by can start a game.

The project is funded by Sport England in partnership with Table Tennis England and the local authorities for each of the 19 areas.

Sport England have recently named it as one of their most successful participation projects, attracting over a million people so far.

People coming to play at the Pop-Up Ping-Pong Parlour, an Aladdin’s cave of table tennis set up in a vacant Meadows Shopping Centre unit, said: “This is one of the best ideas I have ever seen and not many other cities do this, it attracts people in and I never see this place empty.”

“It is such a nice change to be able to enjoy a family event for free. Awesome. Thanks.”

“Ping! is amazing, I love it, it’s great.”

“I will be encouraged to pop in again with my children. Good laughter and got my heart racing.”

“Ping! has been Boss so far and thanks for giving us somewhere to chill!”

Others have taken to Twitter to share the fun. User @nattoben said: “It has encouraged me to take it up again as a hobby. Will be joining a club over the summer.”

Councillor Ray Ride, Chelmsford City Council’s Cabinet Member for Parks and Leisure, said: “Table tennis is a terrific sport. It’s good for your wellbeing, it’s inclusive and it’s really fun! Even people who don’t normally like sport can enjoy a fast-paced, lively game. I am incredibly pleased with how well Ping! is going so far and hope to see many more people taking part in the weeks to come.”

If you have not played yet, find your nearest table at www.pingchelmsford.co.uk Top tips Antony Bensley, Community Sport & Wellbeing Manager at Chelmsford City Council, said: “Every time I pass one of the tables, I always see people using them.

"They are very popular! It’s a fun sport to watch as well as to play, so they are a real draw for groups of friends, families or couples who are out and about around Chelmsford.”

If you are one of the many people who have already given it a go, here are our suggestions for keeping the game fresh and exciting…

• As well as bats and balls, each table features ‘Random Acts of Ping-Pong’ – a varied programme of master classes, competitions and free-to-join activities. Check it out while you play!

• Work in the city? Take part in the Active Essex Workplace Challenge with your colleagues. Use a table to have a game and log your activity at www.workplacechallenge.org.uk for a chance to win a Garmin Fitness band

• Challenge friends and family to a Name Your Weapon competition and use household items as ping-pong bats. This was recently done in Nottingham, where participants used buckets, shoes, bananas, wellies and even cheese graters!

• How long can you keep a rally going for? The current Guinness World Record, set in March 2014, is 8 hours, 40 minutes and five seconds. Start practising now…

• Tweet your photos with the hashtag #pingchelmsford

• Change up the location. There are currently tables in parks and streets from Danbury to Chelmer Park, as well as in the Pop-Up Ping-Pong Parlour in The Meadows.

Find your next game, plus tournament packs, information on more table tennis opportunities in your area and community group details at www.pingchelmsford.co.uk