It was with immense shock and sadness that members of Aberdeen and District Table Tennis Association learned of the sudden passing of Charlie Flint on Sunday 11 January 2026 following a heart attack. Charlie had travelled to Dundee with this three sons, Alan, Stuart and Chris and grandson Scott to watch his beloved Hearts in action when he took unwell on the way home. Despite the valiant efforts of medical staff, he sadly could not be saved.
Members of the ADTTA committee have put together this tribute which encompasses much of his endeavours and achievements during the time he was involved with table tennis throughout the country.
Charlie was nominated for a position on the Aberdeen Committee in May 1994 and stayed for three seasons following which he returned to Edinburgh where he wasted no time in helping establish what is now a thriving club at West Lothian. When WLTTC was in its embryonic stage Charlie was the key figure acting as a ‘jack of all trades’ both on and off the table and he remained an Honorary Member. As John McCulloch has said he had a warm personality and welcomed many to our sport through his generosity of spirit.
Charlie returned to Aberdeen in 2004 and was re-elected to the Committee in 2005. However, following the resignation of Terry Allan, Charlie was thrust into the role of Match Secretary that same season, a role which he carried out in his usual meticulous fashion, until May 2009 when he was appointed as Vice Chairman. Charlie held this role until the AGM in May 2016 when he decided to step down although he was happy to remain an ex-officio member, assisting where and when required. Such was Charlie’s impact on the sport in the area he was awarded the Donald Campbell Trophy for services to table tennis twice, in 2011 and again in 2017.
While back in Aberdeen, Charlie struck up a close relationship with Active Schools in the City and Aberdeenshire to promote TT in Primary and Secondary schools throughout the North East of Scotland, holding many “taster” sessions where basic technique was introduced along with liberal doses of fun and games. Thousands of children have been influenced by Charlie’s amazing ability to generate enthusiasm for the game but also to explain the wider benefits such as fitness, character building, social skills and sportsmanship. These were life lessons as well as fun! Charlie felt strongly that TT was to be enjoyed not only by elite athletes but also by recreational players. He was a force for good in society.
Not long after Aberdeen Sports Village opened in 2009, Charlie was one of the founders of ‘Drop-In Table-Tennis’ for under 18’s. This initially took place on a Monday from 4-6pm. The success of that session soon led to it expanding to twice weekly on both Mondays and Fridays, with Charlie being one of the main reasons the sessions were so successful.
By 2011, Charlie and others could see the potential for this to develop further, with a performance element and performance coaches required to move that onto the next level. Donald, one of Charlie’s colleagues, met with Max Singer and Charlie Matthew around the performance element in late 2011. Max and Charlie offered an initial 6-week trial period to assess if there were enough talented players to work with. Fifteen years later the ASV Table Tennis Academy has gone from strength to strength, operating up to 5 sessions weekly, producing multiple Scottish and GB champions, and a large number of players also being selected for European events. A testament to the groundwork and foundations that Charlie helped create.
Charlie remained involved in coaching ASV TT Academy players up until 2020/21, continuing to develop the youngsters from beginner level through to intermediate, preparing young players for the performance coaching elements, and for the next part of their journey along the performance pathway. Despite stepping away from the Academy coaching, Charlie continued to contribute to that, with several players ‘graduating’ to the Academy from his work at Westhill TTC, Westhill Academy and the wider community.
Charlie was closely involved in a major initiative in 2010/11. When the NHS held the first Golden Games at the Sports Village (a multi-sports event for over 65s), a table tennis session was included which proved a great success largely due to Charlie’s friendly welcome and his encouragement of beginners and established players alike. As a result, ASV decided to start free sessions once a week for a few weeks. It was so popular that regular sessions were started and within a year there were 2 sessions a week and eventually 3 a week attracting around 40 or 50 players to a session. Charlie attended them all and every year he and his wife Brenda organised the wonderful Christmas lunches backed by the talented All-at-C band whose members met at the Evergreens TT.
Fifteen years on and many of the original players are still attending enthusiastically and will vouch for the fact that the Evergreens had “changed their life” by introducing them to new friends and new pastimes. Table Tennis Scotland the national governing body was so impressed with the Evergreens set-up that they used the Aberdeen experience as a template to roll out similar groups throughout Scotland. Today in NE Scotland alone there are at least 17 weekly sessions attracting hundreds of over 50s players a week throughout the year. Without Charlie’s vital contribution, it is doubtful whether any of this would have happened.
Charlie was as inclusive as possible and always suggested ASN events at local tournaments he helped to organise. Several disabled players have commented on how supportive Charlie was in providing opportunities to play and improve. Parkinson’s and MS sufferers were always welcome at Evergreen sessions, and during school tasters, Charlie ensured that all the children were included in the fun.
Charlie and Alison Woods formed a formidable team for planning and running local and national tournaments in Aberdeen. For many years they have been the indispensable unflappable core at the heart of events such as the prestigious North of Scotland Open and North of Scotland Confined tournaments but also the Aberdeen Youth Games for secondary schools and the various versions of the Corporate Games for company teams, all held at ASV. Charlie qualified as an umpire in 2009 and was involved in various national tournaments such as the Scottish Parkinson’s International Open, the Scottish National Championships and numerous Home Nations events.
Living in Westhill, Charlie was able to work with the local Academy running lunchtime sessions and latterly junior and adult practice sessions. Such was the success in attracting players that he founded Westhill Table Tennis Club in 2006. For a period of a few years, a number of juniors would use WTTC as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Award with Charlie signing off their work. He also worked with different groups including Active Schools, the Community Council, Aberdeenshire Sports Council and TTS to secure funding for the club’s equipment and to continue growing table tennis for the community and club. The Club now has 6 teams in the local league but also a thriving Evergreen session attended regularly by 20 players. More recently Charlie was delivering sessions to asylum seekers to help them integrate into the community. He even brought along some juice and biscuits for them to enjoy. There are so many other roles Charlie carried out from coaching, promotion of the club, and table and bat maintenance to name but a few. Although he stepped down as Chairman a few years ago, he worked tirelessly to progress and develop the club, including moves to Westdyke and Fairley Road. Charlie remained Honorary President of WTTC and a club trophy in his name is contested each year.
In 2014 the Commonwealth Games came to Glasgow and Charlie was nominated as one of the area’s torch bearers for the Queen’s Baton Relay. His nomination was in recognition of being the driving force behind table tennis development in the region and the many years he had supported club, school and community programmes and individual players. He was also delighted to be selected as part of the table tennis scoring team at the event where he again made many new friends.
In July 2019 both Charlie and his great friend Dick Ferro were awarded Honorary Life Memberships of TTS at the AGM in Edinburgh in recognition of their hard work, commitment and achievements over many years.
The following year Charlie was recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours when he was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for his services to Sport for Older People in the North East of Scotland, in particular, the Evergreens.
Natalie Gallan added that Charlie helped and encouraged people to pursue coaching, guided by his supportive spirit and persuasive nature. He mentored many of us within Aberdeen to become better coaches and better people, sharing his knowledge, teaching us the importance of patience and making sure we treat everyone the same. He truly believed in people, often seeing their potential before they saw it themselves, and his encouragement gave them the confidence to take that first step.
It is still hard to believe that we will no longer see Charlie’s smiling face and enjoy his great sense of humour and fascinating stories. He was genuinely a lovely person with a heart of gold who was always willing to lend a hand. There will never be another Charlie however we are truly thankful for the time we spent with you.
Our condolences and thoughts are with Brenda, Alan, Stuart and Chris and all the family at this time however they will take comfort knowing how loved, admired and respected Charlie was. There have been numerous lovely messages on social media from friends, colleagues and players he has encountered over the years which is a testament to his popularity.
Rest in peace Charlie, safe in the knowledge that table tennis is stronger because of your legacy.