The table tennis club where you can see a doctor

A community group that is a health hub, a table tennis club and social group is set to expand after receiving extra funding from Sport England.

The Over 50s Black Men (O5BM) Forum was set up in 2018 to represent more than 300,000 black older men in the UK.

It currently has sessions in Luton, Stevenage, Chelmsford, Grays, Southend, across London and will soon be in Birmingham.

Chidi Umeano, from the organisation, hopes by "scaling-up" it will offer more support to help men, so they are able to "speak out" and save the NHS money.

Umeano said the group's goal was to connect men to the community, reduce loneliness and make them more active.

He said in Luton it was known as the "Stress Buster Group".

Doctors join the sessions so that anyone can approach them for advice.

"We bring doctors, black doctors, that look like us, and people can ask them any question," Umeano said.

He said in one session three doctors were quizzed by 60 men for over three hours.

When it comes to table tennis, he said one man, who had suffered a stroke, first came to the group three years ago and was unable to hold a racket but now plays for an hour "non-stop".

"It's about bringing men out of their shells to come and speak out," Umeano said.

"So our dream and plan is to scale this up across the country and be part of that process that reduces the costs to the NHS."

Glen Campbell used to play table tennis in the 70s for England and came to the group for the first time after being told about it by his sister.

"It's fantastic, it's a great idea," he said.

Dr Richard Babatunde Ajuwon, a member of the Luton group, said: "From time to time, people come to me with health questions and I basically have an informal discussion with them.

"If there was an accident or an emergency, I can intervene.

"Having a place like this where you're playing table tennis, exercising, it's absolutely vital not just for our physical health but for mental health."

Enitan Kane, chairman of O5BM, said table tennis was chosen for its hand-eye coordination skills and that it was played indoors.

"That's number one, black people don't like the cold, also when you finish you can socialise," he said.

"It's easy on the knees, we can't be jogging at our age any longer, and most importantly, it's cardiovascular.

"So it keeps our heart pumping, it keeps the blood flowing, it's just a fantastic exercise to do."

Tony Egynjobi said when he first came to the group, two-and-a-half years ago, he had blood pressure issues that have since "completely disappeared".

"I'll connect with my friends, we'll have a laugh, we'll talk about different things and then we'll have some sporty activities," he said.

Dr Trevor Adams, a Luton-based doctor, attends the group to stay fit.

"It's more than physical health, it's emotional and psychological," he said.

"It breaks down social isolation.

"Lots of men don't often talk, but we talk, we have the space to be able to talk, to be able to share."

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