Following the recent story of Gordano School’s Head of PE, Emma Harradine, gaining fresh insight and inspiration at the European Team Table Tennis Championships in Croatia, the team at BBC Radio Bristol connected with her for an in depth interview to explore how those experiences are being brought back into the school community and how she’s hoping to inspire the next generation of coaches.

During the feature, Emma spoke about her involvement in the two-year national coaching programme “She Coaches,” through which she travelled to Croatia as part of the England table tennis teams. She reflected on her lifelong love of table tennis—beginning at just nine years old—and her journey to becoming England’s No.1 in the Over-40s category.

Emma also shared her impressions of the thriving veterans sporting scene and offered a unique behind-the-scenes perspective on the European Championships, including insights into the self-management and professionalism expected from elite athletes. She explained how her love for sport and the experiences gained through international coaching directly influence her work at Gordano School—from inspiring students through real-world sporting examples to showcasing pathways for females into coaching and leadership roles.

Finally, Emma expressed a huge thank you to Gordano School for its continued support, particularly to the Head and her team, whose encouragement has enabled her to pursue these opportunities and bring that inspiration back to benefit the students.

The feature offers an engaging look at how international sporting experience can enrich school sport, helping to foster ambition, resilience and opportunity among the next generation.

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds (around the 40-minute mark of the 12.11.25 show): https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0h3nph2