Kath Squire, chair of Bury Athenaeum Bridge Club, reports: "the club members renew their memberships in January and this year 325 renewal forms were printed - up from the previous years since Covid.
"We have eight sessions face to face and one online each week on Monday to Friday with Saturday bridge being on the first & third weeks.
"We are fortunate in owning the Athenaeum building (shown above) with 16 tables downstairs, plus another 12 upstairs. Athenaeum was established in 1852 as a Charitable organisation with Lord Derby raising funds to build the original Athenaeum building which was demolished in the 70’s to make way for a shopping centre. The current building used as the Bury Athenaeum is a grade II listed building, built in the centre of town as a poor people’s infirmary many years ago. The building you can see next to it is the Bury Art Gallery.
"We have an income of £5,000 from local groups hiring our rooms at just £10 per hour: Embroidery group, 15 local U3A groups , (University of the third age) and also a Bury Widows group.
"We have annual beginners lessons with a member, John Stell, being a qualified bridge teacher. Lessons total 26 weeks from September to April.
"We all have a vested interest in retaining our beginners once they complete the lessons, so we give students four free playing tickets and provide two assisted play sessions for them once they have finished the beginners two terms.
"One of our average bridge players who is part of our tuition committee decided that we needed more to help retain the students who are sometimes too nervous to continue. What is now provided is a two-hour weekly morning session where players can get to grips with basics through card play by talking through bidding and play of each hand, reinforcing their basic bridge knowledge, weak twos, stayman, transfers, finessing, rule of seven, rule of eleven. ,and many more basic skills. They simply learn by repetition and with a relaxed atmosphere with no pressure or being on a clock to complete boards . Our members LOVE this session.
"We have past members who are very rusty who attend this session as well before renewing membership .we regularly have between 20 and 28 novices attending these much needed, much enjoyed sessions where they can ask any questions without feeling embarrassed , we have found that some attend who have been playing for a few years but never really grasped basics .
They pay £3 table fee with refreshments included and our handful of volunteers take no payment except the satisfaction of seeing students and returnees start to enjoy this brilliant game of ours.
"Bridge is not just a game…..it is also a social experience where many friendships have been formed and enhanced the life of our members in such a positive way."
Kath ends by saying: "A widow myself, I married a fellow widower bridge player at the Athenaeum where we had our reception after our wedding ceremony!"