A table tennis club which was started in the 1970s is due to have a well-needed refurb, thanks to National Lottery Funding.

Meopham Table Tennis Club is among 148 local sports projects which will receive a share of £9 million of lottery funding from Sport England’s Inspired Facilities fund.

The club, which meets in a dilapidated shed behind Meopham Village Hall in Wrotham Road, will be given £49,500 to rebuild the premises.

They offer table tennis facilities for the retired on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, for up to eight teams in the Gravesend and Dartford District Table Tennis League, and for junior players on Friday evenings.

The club is also used by the Helen Allison School in Meopham, which specialises in teaching children with autism, for practice sessions.

As well as rebuilding the premises, the cash will be used to buy state-of-the-art flooring and lighting.

Ron Butler, club chairman, said: “We are delighted to have secured this investment, which means we can upgrade the quality of our premises. The present building is no longer fit for purpose and it will be nice to provide our members with a facility that we can be proud of.”

Charles Johnston, Sport England property director, said: “The Inspired Facilities Fund has had a huge impact on grassroots sport across the country. Since 2011, we’ve invested £102 million into more than 1,920 projects to improve and refurbish sports clubs and transform non-sporting venues into vibrant community sports clubs.

“It’s great to see Meopham Table Tennis Club join the long list of successful clubs to benefit from this fund.”

Applications for the next round of funding are now open. Community and voluntary organisations, councils and schools can apply for a share of £5 million to help or upgrade facilities.

For more information, visit www.sportengland.org/inspiredfacilities.