RAMSEY BRIDGE CLUB PURCHASE NEW COMPUTER WITH MANX LOTTERY TRUST GRANT

The Manx Lottery Trust has awarded a local Bridge Club a grant of £1,509.60 so it can purchase computer hardware and software to facilitate up to date online scoring complying with the English Bridge Union’s governance.

Based in the north of the island, Ramsey Bridge Club consists of 50 members who meet up three times a week to play Bridge, a popular card game played all around the globe. Covid opened up the world of bridge and two international platforms were launched, where up to 45,000 players could compete online at any one time.

The club has been established in the Island for more than forty years, and in 2020 it became affiliated to the English Bridge Union; the sport’s governing body, which allows members to enter countrywide tournaments and access procedures which encourage growth within the game. This affiliation has also given the club membership to the Manx Bridge Union which offers a pathway to tournaments played on the island.

Karen McGurgan, Secretary of Ramsey Bridge Club, said: ‘There are many benefits of playing bridge, research has shown that regular games improve reasoning skills and both long and short-term memory. Our club is open to anyone and we like to encourage new members who could benefit from social interactions, new friendships and the challenges of the game. We hope the fresh equipment will improve our current members’ experience and also see an increase in members joining, so thank you to the Manx Lottery Trust for helping us move forward as a club.’

Sarah Kelly, Chairman of Manx Lottery Trust, said: ‘Ramsey Bridge Club is a great organisation which provides plenty of social and educational benefits to its members. We are pleased to support them, and we hope the club can continue to grow and be successful in the game.’

This grant is from the Manx Lottery Trust’s Smaller Grants Programme. To find out more, head to: www.mlt.org.im/