Table Tennis star inspires on What To Do

People who access care and support were encouraged to get active, follow their dreams and discover new confidence with the support of British Paralympian Bronze Medallist Jack Hunter-Spivey, in an exclusive session on www.What-To-Do.co.uk on Wednesday 2nd August, ahead of the European Para Table Tennis Championships in Sheffield (4-9 September).

The experience brilliantly blended table tennis themed accessible exercises, with motivational conversations. Describing how he has overcome adversity in his life to follow his passion for table tennis and achieve his greatest dreams, Jack encouraged the group with his motto ‘life is one big adventure’.

This experience was the latest effort by our charity to pioneer table tennis in social care, having already supported hundreds of people to enjoy the sport, creating table tennis hubs in many of our services and training support workers to deliver the sport through our Care To Play programme in partnership with Table Tennis England. Our charity was proudly awarded a Pride of Table Tennis Award in 2021 for the programme’s impact.

Jack Hunter-Spivey said, “I’m truly inspired by Community Integrated Care’s work in supporting people to live the best life possible. I couldn’t wait to be part of the session, to help inspire people to find confidence and self-belief.”

He continued, “What To Do is an unbelievable platform that gives many people access to special opportunities, so it was great to be part of the community. It was fantastic to share my story and see the passion that so many have for table tennis. It was brilliant to see the appetite for the sport.”

Oliver Thomason, Sports Inclusion Coordinator at Community Integrated Care, led a warm up for the event, inspired by Table Tennis movements. He said, “It was great to work with Jack and to get to know him too. I loved discovering how he’d became a Paralympian. As someone who has a disability, I know the importance of having role models that inspire you. Jack has taught me that anything is possible.”

Lewis Webster, Sports Inclusion Communications Manager at Community Integrated Care, said, “Jack’s humour and unique ability to connect with people made for a brilliant session. His belief in the potential of every person was inspiring. For him to take time from his training camp in Slovakia to deliver this experience was a testament to his character. He truly is a star on and off the court.”