TABLE tennis is good for your health, say experts.

Halton Council has teamed up with Halton Table Tennis Club to celebrating national #tabletennisday on today, serving up the benefits of ping ponging your way to health.

An over 50s come and try session is being held from 11am to 12.30pm at Halton Table Tennis Centre, Select Security Stadium, Lower House Lane in Widnes.

All participants need is training shoes as bats and balls will be loaned.

The cost is £2.

This evening from 6pm to 7pm young people aged seven to 18 can come along and have a go.

The charge is £1.50 with fun games and coaching.

Halton Table Tennis Club has more than 600 members. It is the leading clubs in the north west as a Table Tennis England Centre for Excellence.

In competitive play the national under 10 champion is a member Louis Cheung-Turner.

The under 13 girls number four Niamh Scarborough also trains at the club alongside 20 other juniors who are on the England ranking list.

Jack Hunter-Spivey is in GB paralympic table tennis squad; Joe Davies and Grace Williams are in the paralympic futures squad; while Mark Allen and Jade Carr play and regularly win medals in British and European Transplant table tennis events.

St Augustine's School will be celebrating national table tennis day for the first time with the opening of the new outdoor table tennis tables at 1pm with of north west chairman of Table Tennis England Karen Tonge MBE, who lives in Runcorn.

The dedicated day creates a focal point and an opportunity to do something as a community.

It’s also about helping to raise the profile of the sport and to reach out to new participants, volunteers and officials.

Table Tennis England introduced National Table Tennis Day for the first time in 2014, with clubs, schools, businesses, players and fans rallying together to celebrate our sport with a series of spectacular events, including open days, outdoor table events, fancy dress and celebrity involvement.

Here are the Top 10 Health Benefits of table tennis:

• Playing improves hand-eye coordination and it stimulates mental alertness, concentration and tactical strategy. ...

• Develops mental acuity

• Improves reflexes

• It's easy on the joints

• Burns calories

• Offers a social outlet

• Keeps your brain sharp

• Improves coordination

For more information on table tennis in Halton contact k_tonge@sky.com.