On Thursday, 12th September We held a Charity Pairs Tournament in memory of Mary Evans, joint founder of Stansfield Bridge Club, and mastermind of the unique Stansfield friendly "Drinks and Nibbles" format which we all love so much.  This is part of the EBU Big Deal Charity initiative where the table money was £5 a head with proceeds going to Cancer Research UK. In addition there was a collecting box for additional donations. Thanks to all who took part, results are in the usual spot.   We are delighted to announce that over £500 was raised for the Cancer Research charity, thank you for your generosity. 

As we move into Autumn we are holding another club teams event in which you are all welcome to participate. Its a good fun if slightly different format and certainly nothing to be scared of. The bottom line is that those who play the best Bridge tend to win just like in pairs! Teams of 4 are required and it is essential that if you wish to take part you sign up as we need to know how many teams we have. Team leaders please sign up HERE it matters not if your team members change as long as you arrive with 3 others to play thats fine with us. Normal table money will be charged.

What a night! - the 2024 Summer Party went off in style  with a record 76 attendees - we were packed to the gunnels Thanks to a great team effort, Pauline who masterminded the whole thing, Gerry Joyce and Wendy who cooked the glorious beef and salmon - everyone who came and contributed delicious savoury or sweet delights, and all the willing helpers who arrived early to help set up and then stayed behind to help pack away. A massive thank you to all concerned.  We were not blessed with a sunny summer's evening, but the rain stayed away, and we were able to enjoy the balmy if slightly damp Stansfield air. The Bridge went very smoothly indeed thanks to the interventions of Jackie and Phil who were directing, and we crowned two winning pairs, Peter and Robert who won the handicap and Richard and John who won the main ranking by an absolute whisker, but enough to take away the glory and the bubbly. Congratulations to both winning pairs.

BEM 4 RE

The president of Stansfield bridge club is included in the recent King’s Birthday Honours list.

Richard, who with his late wife, Mary, formed the club in 2007, is the recipient of the British Empire Medal ‘for services to the community in Stansfield, Suffolk’

Richard, aged 70, said: “While I am deeply touched to be nominated for this honour, the real recipient should be my late wife. She was the shining light who did so much for Stansfield and dozens of similar villages throughout Suffolk.

“I have little doubt that her remarkable contribution, initially as a volunteer and latterly as a county county councillor and deputy leader of Suffolk county council, played a part in my nomination for a BEM. I am accepting the award in that spirit. No one would have been more deserving of public recognition than her.”

Richard served as a Stansfield parish councillor for a number of years, including a spell as chairman. He also transformed a church focused newsletter into a monthly magazine of broader interest covering several local villages and served two terms as its editor. 

After starting his journalistic career with the East Anglian Daily Times and Cambridge Evening News, he worked for The Times for 20 years, where he was deputy political editor and subsequently racing correspondent, before spending 10 years on the Daily Telegraph.

In 2007 he started teaching bridge full time and taught more than 1000 people to play the game.

STANSFIELD bridge club was formed in 2007 and is situated in the heart of Suffolk countryside between Clare and Bury St Edmunds. It currently has a membership of about 170 and is affiliated to the EBU.

The club runs sessions play Face to Face on Thursday evenings (visitors welcome) at 7pm, and runs F2F sessions for Improvers on Wednesday afternoons (2pm)

If you would like to contact the club, click STANSFIELD and email us.

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