A CHARITY lunch and bridge drive by Kidderminster Bridge Club raised £900, the highest amount ever raised by the club.

This year’s chosen charity was local organisation Headway Worcestershire, a charity offering support and rehabilitation for people with acquired brain injuries resulted often after motorcycle or car accidents, a brain tumours or strokes.

The decision to support the Headway came when the members of the Kidderminster Bridge Club learned about the activities the staff and volunteers provide at the charity’s local day centre.

The money raised will go towards purchasing exercise equipment for the users of Headway, in order to provide a new activity at the day centres, on top of cooking, art and ceramics.

Lucy Paige, manager at the Kidderminster and Bromsgrove day opportunities centres, said: “We are very grateful for the generous donation that Kidderminster Bridge Club has made to Headway. We will use this donation to invest in sports equipment which will enable the clients to build on their personal fitness goals.

“Having direct access to our own facilities will mean we can maximise the use and motivate each other to reach our full potential."

Chairman of the club, Brian Price, said: “Most of our members come from Kidderminster and Bromsgrove and they loved feeling that they had been able to provide some support for their local communities."

Julia Protesaru, Fundraising Manager at Headway, said: “With brain injuries on the rise and less and less support from the local authorities, we rely on the community to continue delivering services to people with brain injury, and it is always inspiring to see that our work has left such an impression on people."

Kidderminster Bridge Club was established in 1980 and is a thriving and lively club with more than 100 members, mostly retired people. The club meets twice a week at St Cecilia’s Church, in Hoo Road, and every month the winners of the handicap donate £100 to their chosen charity.

New members are welcome and anyone interested in joining should e-mail brianrprice@hotmail.com.