Robert Ridge

Bluenose, Bear,Table Tennis Level 3 Head coach, X NHS and decaf tea milk with 1 sugar

[Table Tennis England @TableTennisENG]

Introducing England's first ever mixed doubles @WTTGlobal champions!

Huge congratulations Tin-Tin Ho & Connor Green! 🏅🏅

#tabletennis #england

[will 🌍/🏐🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 @1875will_]

Happy Obafemi Martins day everyone, have a good one.

#BCFC

[Ultimate Table Tennis @UltTableTennis]

The table goes quiet. The legacy of the legend, Sharath Kamal doesn’t 👑

#UTT #UltimateTableTennis #WTTChennai

[Tees Sport @TeesSport1]

Another great win for Anna Hursey at the WTT Contender event.🏓🏓

[Table Tennis England @TableTennisENG]

England will discover which of the world’s leading nations they will face when the draw for the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals is held on Monday 🏓

The host nation will feature in Stage 1a at OVO Arena Wembley alongside the top seven seeds, meaning England men’s and women’s teams will each have THREE guaranteed huge matches against some of the top nations in the world 🌎

The draw will be carried out live from London’s tallest building, The Shard, starting at noon on Monday, 26 January 🙌 Follow the draw live on the ITTF YouTube channel, and find the draw preview on our website, including how the draw will work and how you can get your tickets, here 👇
https://t.co/WHSRflkNxk

[Table Tennis England @TableTennisENG]

Table Tennis England has launched its new Coaching Development Framework and coaching pathway, reflecting the ways in which coaches learn and the contexts in which they deliver 🏓

This new approach will enable coaches to tailor their development within their qualification through CPD, as well as progress along the pathway. The courses delivered throughout the year will be targeted to specific settings, enabling community coaches and performance coaches alike to identify the opportunities that are most relevant to them and the players they coach 👏

Find out more detail on the latest coaching updates, CPD opportunities and courses, and a chance to sign up to a Q&A session all focused around coaching, follow the link below ⤵️
https://t.co/roDnGjhifs

[Forever Blues @ForeverBluesBC]

Robert Hopkins lived the #BCFC dream.
He was us. We were him.
Rest in peace, Hoppy 💙
https://t.co/6QuSH7eATv

[DavoBirmingham @DavoBirmingham]

Gutted to hear of the passing of the great Robert Hopkins. 💔

A legend on the pitch, playing 207 games for Blues, Hoppy was just as adored for being such a gentleman and passionate fan off it.

This was him on his 64th birthday earlier this season. Truly one of us. 🙏🔵

#BCFC

[Birmingham City FC @BCFC]

The Club is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of a much loved former player, Robert Hopkins.

The former winger played 207 times for Blues and became a cult hero amongst fans thanks to his no nonsense mentality and passion for the game.

One of our own, who not only played for the Club, but supported home and away once his playing days had finished.

Everyone at the Club sends their thoughts and condolences to “Hoppo’s” friends and family.

[Robert Ridge @RobertRidge]

Anyone else doing 'try' January... try to exercise more, eat and drink less😂

[Table Tennis England @TableTennisENG]

The University of Nottingham once again dominated the British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) Table Tennis Championships, winning four of the five titles 😱

Jiaqi Meng won all three titles she competed for, matching her feat from last year, including defending the Women’s Singles title 🏆 Jonathan Mooney won the Men’s Singles title, Meng & Sophie Earley won the Women’s Doubles and Meng teamed up with Hanming Lin, son of Chinese table tennis legend, Dr.Deng Yaping, for the Mixed title 🥇

The only title not won by Nottingham was the Men’s Doubles, which went to their neighbours, Adam Dennison & Krish Chotai of Nottingham Trent University 👏

Read the full event report now 👇
https://t.co/albG2CPLNS

[Tash @TashaBuckland]

Proud to be a valued part of this team! ⚽️

The standards we’re setting and the direction we’re heading ⬆️

Keep an eye out to see the rest of our fantastic staff and our talented group of players 🌷

[Table Tennis England @TableTennisENG]

Table tennis back in the Commonwealth Games for 2030 🏓

Table tennis and para table tennis are back on the programme for the centenary 2030 Commonwealth Games in Amdavad. Table tennis along with athletics, swimming, bowls, weightlifting and their Para-sport equivalents, will be joined by artistic gymnastics, netball and boxing 🥊🏃‍♂️🏋️‍♀️

Read the full article which includes quotes from CEO Sally Lockyer and Director of Performance Gavin Evans below 👇
https://t.co/X7W0cAfmaf

[Birmingham City FC @BCFC]

Our new stadium.

A statement of intent for the City of Birmingham and the West Midlands, testament to a region that is on the rise.

[Keira Connolly @keira_con]

Wise words

“My name’s Frank. I’m 64, a retired electrician.
Forty-two years I spent running wires through houses, fixing breakers, making sure people had light in their kitchens and heat in their winters. Never once did anyone ask me where I went to college. Mostly, they just wanted to know if I could get the power back on before their ice cream melted.

Last May, I was at my granddaughter Emily’s school career day. You know the drill — doctors, lawyers, a software guy in a slick suit talking about “scaling startups.” I was the only one there with a tool belt and work boots.

When it was my turn, I told the kids, “I don’t have a degree. I’ve never sat in a lecture hall. But I’ve wired schools, hospitals, and your principal’s house. And when the hospital generator failed during a snowstorm in ’98, I was the one in the basement with a flashlight, keeping the lights on for newborn babies upstairs.”

The kids leaned forward. They had questions — real ones. “How do you fix stuff in the dark?” “Do you make a lot of money?” “Do you ever get zapped?” (Yes, once, and it’ll curl your hair.)

When the bell rang, one boy hung back. Small kid, freckles, hoodie too big for him. He mumbled, “My uncle’s a plumber. People laugh at him ’cause he didn’t finish high school. But… he’s the only one in the family who can fix anything.”

I looked that boy in the eye and said, “Kid, your uncle’s a hero. When your toilet overflows at midnight, Harvard ain’t sending anyone. A plumber is.”

Here’s the thing nobody told me when I was young — the world doesn’t run without tradespeople. You can have all the engineers you want, but if nobody builds the house, wires the power, or lays the pipes, those blueprints just sit in a drawer.

We’ve made it sound like trades are what you do if you can’t go to college, instead of a path you choose because you like working with your hands, solving problems, and seeing your work stand solid for decades.

Four years after high school, some kids walk away with diplomas. Others walk away with zero debt, a union card, and a skill they can take anywhere in the world. And guess what? When your furnace dies in January, it’s not the diploma that saves you.

A few weeks ago, that same freckled kid’s mom stopped me at the grocery store. She said, “You probably don’t remember, but you told my son trades are important. He’s shadowing his uncle this summer. First time I’ve seen him excited about anything in years.”

That’s the part we forget — for some kids, knowing their path is respected changes everything. It’s not about “just” fixing wires or pipes. It’s about pride. Purpose. The kind that sticks with you long after the job’s done.

So next time you meet a teenager, don’t just ask, “Where are you going to college?” Ask, “What’s your plan?” And if they say, “I’m learning to weld,” or “I’m starting an apprenticeship,” smile big and say, “That’s fantastic. We’re going to need you.”

Because we will. More than ever. And when the lights go out, you’ll be glad they showed up.”

[Table Tennis England @TableTennisENG]

Former world and Commonwealth champion and three-time Paralympic medallist Ross Wilson has announced his retirement from table tennis 🏓

The three-time Paralympic medallist made the announcement in a post on Instagram, bringing an end to a career which had some incredible highs, you can take a look back on Ross' career highlights by following the link to the full story below 👇
https://t.co/BaJrGL5mn6

[Table Tennis England @TableTennisENG]

We join the table tennis world in mourning the loss of British Para Table Tennis performance director Gorazd Vecko at the age of 53.
Gorazd’s contribution to the world of para table tennis is immeasurable and he leaves a void that simply cannot be filled.
Out thoughts are with Gorazd’s family and friends, everyone at British Para Table Tennis and the wider table tennis community in Great Britain and Gorazd’s home nation of Slovenia.

[Foden's Band @fodensband]

This Saturday we will be heading over the Pennines to appear at the 2025 Leeds International Concert Season in Pudsey Civic Hall as part of their 'Best of Brass' series! 🙌

📆 Saturday 18th October, 2025
⏰ 7:30pm
🎫 https://t.co/ej49J4tROp

[England @England]

Congratulations, @BellinghamJude 🏆

[Boing Kids @BoingKids]

🌱 Play and the Climate Crisis: How can PE position itself within the world? 💨

We loved Jacqui Peters' recent paper so much, we had to dig in further!

Check out the Boing Blog below 👇

https://t.co/4TUmjCxr5i