Brief History
We were formed in 1960 by a group of pupils from a local school who had become members of the Kingswood YMCA and wished to continue their association with the Y when they reached 21. In the early days the club was all male and held a monthly meeting to hear a speaker and enjoy a simple supper. However the club did not prosper until it was recognised that a commitment to firm objectives and charitable activities was essential.
The second half of the 60's was a period of growth in membership and achievement. In 1966 the Regional Conference was organised by the club and our tradition of international involvement was begun. Collecting stamps for the Brotherhood Fund started. Community Service projects - operating the Bristol Film Unit projector for house bound people and providing a taxi service for handicapped young people, both on a regular weekly basis, were introduced.
In the early 70's our ladies joined us at the supper evenings on a regular basis and the standard of meals improved, changing our 'supper' to 'dinner night'. Our Time of Fast soup supper was introduced as a regular feature of the February dinner night. We believe an active social life in the club encourages an active community work spirit and the manning assistance at local charitable events has become a regular feature of our service to the community activities.
In 1981 the club celebrated its 21st birthday with a small party at the YMCA. Invitations were issued to all past members we could find. A more ambitious party was thrown to mark our 25th birthday: guests were welcomed from Europe and Scandinavia. Some claim the festivities lasted a week. Another major celebration was held for our 50th in April 2010.
The 90's saw an important development; we enrolled the first two ladies to become full club members. This event was the more memorable because the two young ladies were daughters of existing members. We have also been successful in the enrolment of younger members to keep alive the future of the club.
The 00's see us continuing enthusiastically to put fun into fundraising and friendship into our programmes. In June 2001 we hosted our third Area Europe Convention and in June 2013 we again hosted the Area Europe Convention at the University of Bath. In August 2018 we hosted the Central Southern Europe Regional Conference with the assistance of Hanham club.
The second half of the 60's was a period of growth in membership and achievement. In 1966 the Regional Conference was organised by the club and our tradition of international involvement was begun. Collecting stamps for the Brotherhood Fund started. Community Service projects - operating the Bristol Film Unit projector for house bound people and providing a taxi service for handicapped young people, both on a regular weekly basis, were introduced.
In the early 70's our ladies joined us at the supper evenings on a regular basis and the standard of meals improved, changing our 'supper' to 'dinner night'. Our Time of Fast soup supper was introduced as a regular feature of the February dinner night. We believe an active social life in the club encourages an active community work spirit and the manning assistance at local charitable events has become a regular feature of our service to the community activities.
In 1981 the club celebrated its 21st birthday with a small party at the YMCA. Invitations were issued to all past members we could find. A more ambitious party was thrown to mark our 25th birthday: guests were welcomed from Europe and Scandinavia. Some claim the festivities lasted a week. Another major celebration was held for our 50th in April 2010.
The 90's saw an important development; we enrolled the first two ladies to become full club members. This event was the more memorable because the two young ladies were daughters of existing members. We have also been successful in the enrolment of younger members to keep alive the future of the club.
The 00's see us continuing enthusiastically to put fun into fundraising and friendship into our programmes. In June 2001 we hosted our third Area Europe Convention and in June 2013 we again hosted the Area Europe Convention at the University of Bath. In August 2018 we hosted the Central Southern Europe Regional Conference with the assistance of Hanham club.
