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As from 1st September 2022, you will need to renew your bridge membership with Aberdeen Bridge Club.

Your fees for this coming year will now be £20 p.a. This will include your fee to the SBU which still stands at £8 p.a. For players whose Home Club is not Aberdeen Bridge Club, your fee will be £12 p.a. Trustees recently took the decision to increase the fees to reflect the move back to face to face playing at the club. (Before Covid, fees were £30 pa so you are getting a really good deal!)

This year, all you need to do is click  HERE which will take you to an online form. Please complete the form and click submit. The information will be sent automatically to the Membership Secretary. This should be a lot easier and more streamlined.

Please note, the Club only accepts payment of fees by BACS transfer or by cheque. It is not possible to receive cash.

A number of players have recently asked about how to find out about their rankings and details held about them by the SBU on Mempad. This website will provide you with all you need to know: https://www.sbu.org.uk/member-services

You will see a large button called MEMPAD and advice about how to log in and use Mempad.

If you know of any players or past members who do not use email, I would be very grateful if you could alert them to the fact that there will be a small stack of paper forms in the Club for them to complete by hand.

Please do not hesitate to get back to the Membership Secretary (Alex Hunter) – membership@aberdeenbridgeclub.co.uk – if you have any queries.

The Board is delighted to invite you to an event at the club’s premises to welcome you back after the pandemic and the closure of the club.

A light buffet will be provided and there will be some friendly bridge in the form of a mini  tournament.  You will also have the opportunity to catch up with some bridge friends that you may not have seen since the start of the pandemic in 2020!  What is there not to like?

We have made some changes since pre pandemic days, so if you haven’t been in the club for a while, you will notice that some things are just a little bit different.

COVID

We are still mindful of COVID so all tables now have wipe down covers, and you will find hand sanitizers, tissues, and a wee bin at each table.

PRE-BOOKING

We have had an online booking system in place for some time now and this has proved popular with members.  We would ask that you pre-book for this event so that we know the numbers for catering.

To help us with our numbers for catering, please sign up before midnight on Friday 9th September.

Pre-booking is really as easy as 1….2…. 3!

1. Go to the club’s website and click on “SignUp”.
2. Enter the password “transfer” and then VIEW the session you are interested in. Click on SIGN UP.
3. Enter your name (no partner required for this event)

♠ If you don’t have access to a device that allows you to book online, then please contact Steve Findlay (Tournament Convenor) at …. tournaments@aberdeenbridgeclub.co.uk….and he will book a place for you.

CANCELLING A BOOKING

Things happen and you may have to cancel your booking.  To do this….go to the “Sign Up” page of the website and click on “WITHDRAW” to remove your name

PAYMENT

This is a free event.

BAR

The bar will be open but please remember your bank card, as we are now operating “cashless”, wherever possible.

LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ON THE 11TH

The Board is delighted to announce that we will be offering our members a blended program starting on the 5th September. The Tuesday pairs tournament will continue on BBO for the foreseeable future and for “face to face” bridge, we have added additional sessions at the club.

♦ See full details of the program by clicking HERE.

We have made some changes since pre pandemic days, so if you haven’t been in the club for a while, you will notice that some things are just a little bit different.

COVID
We are still mindful of COVID so all tables now have wipe down covers, and you will find hand sanitizers, tissues, and a wee bin at each table.

PRE-BOOKING
We have had an online booking system in place for some time now and this has proved popular with members. By pre booking you ensure that there will be a place for you at your preferred session/s and speeds up the process of setting up the tournament on the night so that the session starts on time.

Online booking will close 1 hour before the start time.

Pre-booking is really as easy as 1..2..3:

1. Go to the club’s website and click on “SignUp”.
2. Enter the password “transfer” and then VIEW the session you are interested in. Click on SIGN UP.
3. Enter the SBU number for yourself and your partner together with your names and SUBMIT.

♣ If you don’t have a partner, first check to see if someone else is also looking for one. If so, ACCEPT their invitation. If not, click on LOOKING and enter your details. You’ll need to check the tournament list of players from time to time to see if your invitation has been accepted..
♥ If there aren’t enough entries, then the session will be cancelled, so please check the website before you head for the club.
♠ If you don’t have access to a device that allows you to book online, then please contact Steve Findlay (Tournament Convenor) at …. tournaments@aberdeenbridgeclub.co.uk….and he will book a place for you.
♦ Top tip…. Please don’t leave it too late to book, as this may result in a shortage of numbers and the session being cancelled.

Those who have used the Sign Up page before will notice a few changes – we hope you approve!

CANCELLING A BOOKING
Things happen and you may have to cancel your booking. To do this….go to the “Sign Up” page of the website and click on “WITHDRAW” to remove your name. Please make sure that your partner is aware that you are cancelling.

PAYMENT
The club is now cashless so table monies are only taken by bank card or by using one of our pre-paid cards (which can also be paid by bank card).

Table monies are now £4 per session for members and £5 for guests. This includes tea/coffee and a biscuit.

BAR
The bar will reopen on the 5th September 😊 We would also prefer that the bar operates “cashless” so don’t forget your card.

This is a reminder of the Club sessions over the summer.

Mondays

• Face to Face (F2F) tournament weekly at 7pm in the Club for Bronze 1/2 (up to and including district master) players

• BBO online 24 board tournament, weekly at 7pm, open to all levels of player

Tuesdays

• BBO online 18 board tournament, weekly at 7pm

Wednesdays

• F2F 24 board tournament weekly at 7pm in the Club.

Thursdays

• F2F casual session, weekly at 2pm in the Club.

The above arrangements will continue until the end of August. Thereafter, it is planned that there will be a wider offering of tournaments and casual sessions and that these will be exclusively F2F in the Club.

F2F sessions at the Club

Remember that these sessions (tournament and casual) need to be booked in advance by clicking on the the Sign Up menu item on this website. This includes a facility for looking for a partner for a tournament.

Lapsed and new members

Lapsed and new members can now join Aberdeen Bridge Club at no cost (including SBU membership) until the end of August. 

Some lapsed members are not on email so we’d be grateful if this message could be passed on by word of mouth if any of you know someone who may have stopped coming to the club during Covid.

Members will be sent an invitation to renew their club membership before the end of August for the 2022/23 season

The Board met on 22^nd April and agreed that from the week beginning Monday 2^nd May 2002 the following tournaments and casual sessions will take place:

Mondays

• F2F (face to face) tournament weekly at 7pm in the Club for Bronze 1/2 (up to district master) players
• BBO online 24 board tournament, weekly at 7pm, open to all levels of player

Tuesdays

• Continue over the summer with the existing 18 board BBO online tournament, weekly at 7pm

Wednesdays

• F2F (face to face) 24 board tournament weekly at 7pm in the Club. A wider invitation will be issued to members of other North District clubs.

Thursdays

• Continue over the summer with the existing F2F (face to face) casual session, weekly at 2pm in the Club.

For F2F tournaments and casual sessions:

• The sign-up system will be in operation and will include a facility for entering without a partner. A how to guide for the sign up system is at the following link (copy and paste to your browser):
   https://www.aberdeenbridgeclub.co.uk/how-to-sign-up-2/
• Alternatively the system can be accessed directly from the “Sign Up” button on the Club’s home page.

While the Board appreciates that this is a different way of operation and that teething problems may arise, it is now Club policy that bookings can only be made via the sign up system.

• Table money will be £4 which will include tea/coffee and a biscuit
• The wearing of face coverings will be at the discretion of individual players
• Reopening of the bar will be delayed until June to permit a review by the licensing officer

The above arrangements will continue until the end of August. Thereafter, it is planned that there will be a wider offering of tournaments and casual sessions and that these will be exclusively F2F in the Club.

Thanks to everyone who came along on Thursday – 4 full tables, which was fantastic!

We hope to see you again this coming Thursday, same place, same time (2pm – 4pm) and same format.

For anyone who has yet to venture back to the club, the format is the same as it was pre Covid and is fun, friendly, and non-competitive.  It’s a great opportunity to catch up with bridge friends, discuss the hands played and…..you don’t need to have a partner.

We are still mindful of COVID, so you will find the tables well-spaced out, windows slightly open to provide ventilation (don’t worry, it’s not been cold), hand sanitisers, tissues and wee bins at all tables and contactless payment rather than cash.  We are still asking for masks to be worn (in line with SBU guidance) but as the session is only for two hours, this doesn’t seem to be causing too much of an issue.

Happily, the coffee bar should be open for business this Thursday and I’m sure this will be as popular as ever.

If I have whetted your appetite for coming back to the club and you are interested in trying out the Thursday session, please book a space on the club’s website – either by clicking on the link.. Sign up sheets – THE BRIDGE CLUB ABERDEEN (SCIO) (aberdeenbridgeclub.co.uk) or by logging into the website….  “sign in” on the blue menu bar.  From there you will need to use the password “transfer” and then add your name to the list.

Please note that a minimum of 8 is needed to run this session, so please check the website on Thursday to confirm the session is running.

If you have any questions about the Thursday session, please email Carole on finance@aberdeenbridgeclub.co.uk

It’s been a long time coming, but the club is now open for “Face to Face” bridge on a Thursday afternoon, from 2pm to 4pm.

This session has been running for a number of weeks now and it would be fabulous is we could tempt you to give it a try before the club fully re-opens, hopefully, later this month.  (keep a look out for an email from the President with further information)

The format is the same as it was pre Covid and is fun, friendly, and non-competitive.  It’s a great opportunity to catch up with bridge friends, discuss the hands played and…..you don’t need to have a partner.

We are still mindful of COVID, so you will find the tables well-spaced out, windows slightly open to provide ventilation (don’t worry, it’s not been cold), hand sanitisers, tissues and wee bins at all tables and contactless payment rather than cash.  We are still asking for masks to be worn (in line with SBU guidance) but as the session is only for two hours, this doesn’t seem to be causing too much of an issue.

The coffee bar isn’t quite up and running yet, so you may want to bring a drink/snack with you.

If I have whetted your appetite for coming back to the club and you are interested in trying out the Thursday session, please book a space on the club’s website – either by clicking on the link.. Sign up sheets – THE BRIDGE CLUB ABERDEEN (SCIO) (aberdeenbridgeclub.co.uk) or by logging into the website….  “Sign Up” on the blue menu bar.  From there you will need to use the password “transfer” and then add your name to the list.

Please note that a minimum of 8 is needed to run this session, so please check the website on Thursday to confirm the session is running.

If you have any questions about the Thursday session, please email Carole on finance@aberdeenbridgeclub.co.uk