Here is a roundup of the latest Purley Bridge News with some dates for your diary.

No Bridge on Wednesday February 12th because the Cowen Suite is in use for Xandi Manning's Wake

Spring Club Championship

The Spring Club Championship is being held on the afternoon of Saturday February 15th. The sign up sheet is on the notice board.

Start time is 1 for a 1:30 start. The cost is £14 to include Afternoon Tea.

Winter Season

The Summer Season finished on the 31st of August and the Winter Season commenced on Sunday September the 1st and will end on the 31st of March 2025.

All ladders will require a minimum of 10 appearances to qualify

Beginner Bridge Lessons

Purley Bridge Club will be running a new season of Bridge lessons for beginners in the Bowls Pavilion at Purley Sports Club commencing on Wednesday 2nd October.   The sessions will take place every Wednesday afternoon between 1pm and 3pm. The lessons will be starting from scratch and so are suitable for complete beginners or for those who want to revise their Bridge knowledge.   All are welcome.   Please contact Brenda Blackwell if you know of anyone who might be interested.

Improver training sessions will take place at the rear of the main hall, commencing on Wednesday 2nd October and running from 1pm to 3pm.

Weekly Bridge sessions

The Monday, Wednesday and Thursday sessions continue as normal.

Stewards are now available on all Monday evening and Wednesday mornings For the Thursday evening sessions there will be no steward on the first Thursday of each month.

The Wednesday afternoon arrangement whereby the Directors act as Stewards remains unchanged.

   A new rota for Stewards and Scorers has been set up for the Winter season. Details are on the Bridgewebs calendar.

Xandi Manning’s funeral will be held on Wednesday 12^th February 2025.

Members are invited to attend a Thanks Giving Service of celebration at 12 PM, to be held at St John The Baptist Church, 48 Dale Road, Purley CR8 2EF.

This will be followed by a wake at Purley Sports Club, The Ridge, Purley CR8 3PF.

There will be a private cremation, for family only.

One of Xandi’s wishes was for the dress code to include colour at her funeral.

If you would like to make a donation in Xandi’s memory to the Royal Marsden Hospital, please click on the link:

Donations to Royal Marsden on behalf of Xandi Manning

The family respectfully request you do not send flowers.

Please note that there will be NO bridge on Wednesday the 12th of February as the Cowen Suite will be used for the wake.

If you are planning to attend the wake please let Elaine Cann - elaine.cann4@gmail.com - know to allow the catering arrangements to be finalised.

It is with great sadness that I share the news that Xandi Manning sadly passed away on Tuesday, 14th January 2025.

Xandi joined the club in the mid-1980s and was a wonderful supporter of our community. She played bowls and bridge and attended many social events, including New Year’s Eve celebrations and the Bowls Section Summer BBQ.

One of Xandi’s proudest achievements was earning her Surrey Bowls Badge, and she represented the club with distinction on numerous occasions. Her contributions to our club and the friendships she nurtured here will be deeply missed.

Our heartfelt condolences go out to her husband, Butch, her family, and all those who knew and loved her. We kindly ask for your understanding in giving Butch and the family privacy during this difficult time. Please refrain from contacting the house to allow them space to grieve.

Details of the funeral service will be shared once they are available.

Peter Bright

Club Chairman

The handicap for prize winners is 3% accumulating for the first and each subsequent win within the last 9 months. This applies to the same pairing and does not apply if one winner wins again with a different partner. The handicapping process will be kept under review.