London 02 October 2015: BLE has confirmed its continued support of the BAT Foundation by hosting a table tennis event on a customised table made from LEGO bricks at this year’s show.
For the second year running BLE has donated floor space to BAT, a charity which is vitally raising awareness of table tennis as an extremely effective, and drug free, therapy for those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
Exhibitors and visitors alike will be able to participate in games on the customised table, specially created for the charity by the highly acclaimed LEGO accredited studio Bright Bricks. Table Tennis England’s top players and coaches will also be on hand to give participants useful winning tips and advice to increase their game skills.
An innovative table tennis therapy concept table will also be on the BAT stand (E112). This table has been specially designed and created, in collaboration with Tamasu Butterfly and U.S. Company Inclusion, to specifically enhance the therapeutic experience and to take the sport into a revolutionary new dimension.
Ian Craigton-Chambers, BAT Foundation Creative Director, explained: “There are over 850,000 people in the U.K. living with dementia; increasing in the next few years to over a million, so now is a crucial time for action. Research is the key to develop innovative new ways to prevent the disease and drive advances in methods of treatment. We at BAT have instigated a major body of research with Kings College London into table tennis and its enormous potential to combat the symptoms of early onset Alzheimer’s. Together with the development of a treatment and specialist equipment programme, that will delay cognitive decline, stimulate the Hippocampus, extend long-term memory, improve hand-eye coordination, enhance motor skills inthose afflicted by dementia - we hope to bring a better quality of life to both Alzheimer’s patients and their carers.
“It is therefore great to be back at BLE and we are keen to build relationships with brands that are interested in supporting our Table Tennis Therapy initiative, in particular by developing ranges of table tennis merchandise and becoming proactively involved with the series of high profile awareness events that BAT is staging throughout the UK next year.”
Darren Brechin, BLE Event Director, said “The table tennis area at BLE 2014 certainly brought a different dimension to the event; and many exhibitors and visitors took the time to try their hand. We are delighted to be able to support such an innovative charity, and will do all we can to help it progress this important research.”
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For press information please contact Emma Harris at eharris@advanstar.com or Tel: 07919 408233
About Brand Licensing Europe
Brand Licensing Europe 2015 (www.brandlicensing.eu) takes place from 13-15 October 2015 at Olympia, London. It is the only pan-European event dedicated to licensing and brand extension. Now in its 17th successful year, Brand Licensing Europe 2014 was the biggest event to date; hosting 306 exhibitors and 7,164 visitors from 69 countries.
About UBM Advanstar (www.advanstar.com) UBM Advanstar, part of UBM Americas, is a US-based event and marketing services business serving the fashion, licensing, life sciences and power sports industries. The company owns and operates a portfolio of 54 tradeshows, 100 conferences, 30 publications, and almost 200 electronic products and websites. Its market-leading brands and a commitment to delivering innovative, quality products and services enable UBM Advanstar to “Connect Our Customers With Theirs.” UBM Advanstar is a UBM plc company.
The BAT Foundation The BAT Foundation is a health and wellbeing charity delivering a specialised table tennis Alzheimer’s therapy programme which provides UK care settings with access to tailored equipment, expert training and free resources. www.batfoundation.com