Carol von Linstow: 1947 – 2026

Mark and Anna are very sad to hear of the passing of Carol von Linstow after a long illness.

Carol was Secretary to the WBF Executive Council from the mid-1980’s having been personal secretary to the then President, Jimmy Ortiz-Patino, until her retirement after the 2018 Championships in Orlando.

Anna first met her in Jamaica at the World Championship held in Ochos Rios in 1987. They struck up an immediate friendship which lasted until Carol’s death in May 2026, keeping in regular contact through email and telephone calls. Together with Christine Francin they formed a triumvirate that struck fear into the hearts of many !!

Carol was instrumental in introducing Mark to the WBF, and he and Anna spent several short holidays with her in her house near Geneva.

Carol really loved her time with the WBF, making and maintaining close friendships not only with Anna & Mark, but with many of her colleagues, many of these lasting until her death. She was always elegant, smiling and full of fun and life. She will, I am sure, be remembered by many for the good evenings spent during a Championship enjoying a glass of white wine and, as they say, “putting the world to rights” with her friends.

She leaves her much loved son Mark, grandson Henry, and her sister, Ju – we send them our sincere condolences at this sad time.

The January Charity Pairs for UNICEF 2026

So - January brings our charity pairs to raise funds for UNICEF. To find out more about make the donations to UNICEF, please click here

ECatsBridge Charity Challenge 2026

As before, this event will be raising funds for the Charities Mind, that wonderful charity supporting people with mental health problems, and Macmillan Cancer Support ... the work they do is just amazing. For more information on these events click here

The ECatsBridge Summer Charity Pairs 2026

The Summer pairs and will raise funds for Kidney Research UK and British Heart Foundation. More information here

Children in Need 2026

So many of you joined in and made this a resounding success and we can't thank you enough for your support and generosity - not forgetting the heat organisers, the dealers and everyone who made it happen. Over the years we have raised so much for this amazing charity .. bridge players are just wonderful ! we are heading for a total of one and a half million pounds raised. How fantastic it that ?
So the information for 2026 is here - please put the date in your calendar and join us once again.