Specialist tour operator First For Bridge has been reintroduced by Leger Shearings Group following a full overhaul.
It follows the group’s revival of the crafting holidays brand Stitchtopia earlier this year.
First For Bridge, acquired when the group bought the brand and assets of Arena Travel in 2022, is fully commissionable to travel agents and has a new-look and revamped website as part of its relaunch.
Designed with bridge enthusiasts in mind, the site has destination, holiday type and ‘meet the team’ landing pages for personalised search options. It also now includes a First for Bridge blog, featuring holiday experiences, expert advice and tour insight from its team of experts.
It offers fully escorted tours in the UK, Europe and worldwide for different levels of bridge players, with ‘premier’, ‘beginners’, ‘refresher, ‘play & explore’ options. It also features trips to attend English Bridge Union (EBU) Congress events in the UK and abroad.
The brand has assembled a team of EBU-qualified directors, hosts and teachers to lead its holidays and provide an engaging, supportive bridge-playing environment on its holidays.
The team includes Premier Life Master and EBU-qualified tournament director Mark Hooper, professional bridge player and coach Dom Rayner, and EBU panel director Colin Simcox.
EBU members will also receive their masterpoints – points awarded by bridge organisations for success in competitive bridge tournaments – on First For Bridge trips.
On the brand’s ‘premier’ and ‘play & explore’ holidays, clients will be awarded standard masterpoints, and the EBU also awards blue and green-pointed masterpoints at their congress events.
The number of bridge tables varies depending on the holiday type. On average, ‘premier’ bridge holidays have 10 to 15 tables while ‘play & explore’ have seven to 12; ‘refresher’ bridge holidays have up to 12 tables, and beginners’ breaks have up to seven.
The operator also caters for solo travellers, and holds a singles meeting at the start of the holiday to introduce prospective partners.
Leger Shearings Group’s chief executive Liam Race said: “First for Bridge holidays are expertly created for bridge players who love to travel and have been curated to enhance bridge skills in a manner that’s tailored to the individual’s experience level.
“We’ve selected the best hotels, in fantastic destinations, with superb features and facilities, such as stylish lounge areas, sunbathing terraces, swimming pools, and spacious bridge rooms, where participants can relax in the company of like-minded others.
“We really enjoyed working on the relaunch of ‘First for Bridge’, along with our crafting holiday brand ‘Stitchtopia’; these specialist tours are something very different, they’ve expanded our product range and we’re working with a new demographic of customer – it’s very exciting!”