Wen Wei Xu, Tim Holtam

Nominated by Brighton Table Tennis Club

Inspiring everyone to be a champion, instil a lifelong love for table tennis and a positive sense of community within all our players.

www.brightontabletennisclub.com

Wen Wei Xu and Tim Holtam believe passionately in one thing — that table tennis can change lives. More than just a hobby or a sport, they know it can give people a true feeling of belonging.

That’s why in 2007, they set up Brighton Table Tennis Club, along with another friend Harry McCarney, with nothing but two worn-out tables. Nowadays, the club has its own full time centre in Kemptown, as well as over 200 tables across Sussex (including in a homeless centre, hospital and prisons). 

Every week, more than 1,500 people, aged 2 to 100 from all backgrounds play together at the club and are all part of our integrated community. If that wasn’t enough, BTTC was also named the world’s first ‘Club of Sanctuary’ for its work with refugees.

Both Wen Wei and Tim have brought incredible expertise to the project. Before leaving China, Wen Wei was a coach for the national under 12s girls team. In recent years, he has also won the UK Chinese Community Table Tennis Championships multiple times. Tim is a fellow table tennis star who was previously one of the top 10 under 17 players in the UK. In 2018, he delivered a TedX talk on ‘How Table Tennis Can Change the World.’

A big personality with an even bigger heart, Tim sees BTTC as his extended family and gives every single visitor a warm welcome. Co-founder Wen Wei is known for his enthusiasm and has hit a phenomenal 7.2 million balls across the net to many thousands of Brightonians.

Both have a magic talent for making people smile and inspiring a passion for table tennis. They have built more than just a club, they’ve built a thriving community where everyone feels accepted. For this reason, Tim and Wen Wei are genuine Brighton legends.