Formation of Malpas Bridge Club at the Victoria Jubilee Hall
12th October 1994
As project director and fund-raiser for the modernisation and expansion of the Victoria Jubilee Hall, with help from John Geall, Pam Dodd, Edna Skelland and a grant from the National Lottery, I raised £360,000. One of the conditions of a grant from the National Lottery was that we had to show that we would have sufficient income to meet the maintenance and running costs of the renovated Hall.
Having persuaded a number of groups to move from the Parish Hall to the better-equipped Victoria Jubilee Hall, I still needed to generate extra income. I explored what other village halls were doing and decided a bridge club was something lacking in Malpas.
Although I could not play bridge (still can’t) there were bridge lessons at the Heber High School which I joined. I was able to recruit a number of potential members from the class and many of them are still members of our Club.
I was very fortunate in meeting Bill Niccol who ran a number of bridge clubs in the Liverpool area and asked him to help me start a bridge club in Malpas. Bill agreed to set up the Club, supply all the equipment we needed and run the Club until we were capable of running it ourselves. Bill also brought Krista Stephenson to help him and his friend John, who ran a very successful beginners’ class, which also ensured extra members. It was agreed that our Club would be relaxed, friendly and welcoming to individual bridge players and pairs.
In promoting a new venture in Malpas I was able to obtain a grant of £500 from Chester City Council which enabled the Club to purchase the equipment and pay Bill and John’s fees. Bill and John were travelling from Liverpool each Wednesday evening and after many months, handed over the running of the Club to committee members.
Malpas Bridge Club started on Wednesday, 12th October, 1994. Now, twenty years on, it is still giving pleasure to bridge players from a wide area around Malpas.
Mervyn Pearson
Founder of Malpas Bridge Club
August 2014
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