Somerset Contract Bridge Association have been successful in applying for a £10,000 grant from the National Lottery to run Fast Track Bridge courses in the county for those aged 24 - 65.

We were pleased to support Somerset CBA, and their Chairman, Tony Russ, in the application for the grant, and were delighted to learn that it was approved.

Somerset CBA realised that they not only needed an injection of new players, but also younger players. They identified that the time taken to learn via traditional methods was offputting to those with families or full-time jobs, so wanted to use the new Fast Track Bridge books to get people learning more quickly. Fast Track Bridge is part of the national learning programme, Bridge For All, and gets new players to the table after just 24 hours of lessons.

Their application to the National Lottery focussed on both the mental benefits which come from playing, and also the social benefits which come from the partnerships and communities that bridge forges. The size of the grant from the National Lottery shows society's increasing recognition of the importance of such benefits.

Any Counties/clubs wishing to apply to the National Lottery for a grant to run such a course are encouraged to get in touch with Tony to talk about Somerset's experience in making a successful application. EBED can also provide supporting statements and advice on running the Fast Track Courses.