"Hi, I am Simon Kelly, owner and Managing Director of Guaranteed Events and Bridge Overseas Ltd. I have been with the company since 2010 and took over full control of the business from my father Edward back in August 2019. Good timing as the pandemic hit us just a few months later, but thankfully that is now old news. Although I don’t currently play bridge, I wish I had the time, my father did teach me many years ago so at some point I will be joining you in the bridge room. Until then all my efforts are focused on making us one of the best group holiday companies around. My spare time is currently spent on restoring my old farm house in Southern Spain or out riding with my son Connor, on our trials or road motorbikes."

"Experienced and adaptable professional with a strong background spanning event coordination, compliance, customer service, and office management. For the past three years, I’ve been part of the team at Guaranteed Events, where I’ve brought my organizational skills and client-focused mindset to life in a fast-paced environment. My earlier roles include working in compliance, managing customer service in the retail sector, and overseeing office operations in the recruitment industry—each contributing to my ability to manage people, processes, and priorities with confidence and professionalism. Outside of work, I’m passionate about travel and enjoy spending quality time with family and friends. I actively support my partner in Ironman events across the globe, which has deepened my appreciation for endurance, discipline, and teamwork. Fun fact: I trained as a Level 1 TIG welder seven years ago—proof that I’m always open to learning something new!"

"With over 20 years in the finance industry, Anna has worked her way up through all areas of accounting, gaining in-depth expertise across a variety of sectors, including a chocolate manufacturing company, exhibition manufacturer, construction company and 2 recruitment agencies. This wide-ranging experience has equipped her with a versatile skill set in financial management, reporting, budgeting, and analysis, enabling her to drive financial strategy and growth in any business environment. A qualified CIMA professional, Anna is committed to delivering strategic insights that optimise financial performance. She believes that the people make the workplace, and that a successful organisation thrives on teamwork—where everyone is part of the same team, and there is no hierarchy. This philosophy shapes her approach to leadership and collaboration, fostering an environment of mutual respect and shared success. Outside of work, Anna enjoys mountain biking and playing netball, where her team has won the league title three times in a row. She values staying active through sports and workouts, maintaining a healthy balance between personal and professional life."

"Cassie joined the company in 2012 having moved back to the UK after a long time overseas. With family still based in the US, Cassie likes to visit when she can. Cassie lives in South Wales with her two Fox Red labrador puppies, Millie and Beau. Cassie says : “I love working with Simon and the team. We are a close knit bunch and work really well together. No two days are the same and there is always something different and interesting to learn. Our customers are lovely and I enjoy chatting with them when I get the opportunity” "

"I have been working for Guaranteed events since i left school 17 years ago. I love travelling wich i get to do a lot through work and my love of football I have been fortunate to visit many of our hotels and look forward to helping you chose your next bridge holiday."

"After finishing school, I jumped straight into the family business, where I now handle all things IT, graphic design, and marketing. The company was founded by my grandfather Edward and is currently run by my father Simon, so being part of its growth is something I take real pride in. I moved to Spain eight years ago and have loved every minute of it—especially weekends spent riding motorbikes with my dad or discovering new tapas spots together. "

"Malcolm & Madeleine hold the distinction of being our longest serving directors, in fact they were guests on our very first English bridge holiday in Harrogate. They live in the seaside town of Southport and have been married for over 40 years and have three grown up children and six grandchildren. When Malcolm retired from running a successful textile manufacturing company, the opportunity arose to take over the part time management of Southport bridge club, the 10th largest club in the country with 300 members. Malcolm is a qualified EBU director and a members of the English bridge union teachers association, and runs classes for beginners and improvers, helping to increase the membership. Malcolm & Madeleine have been playing duplicate bridge for over 30 years and have the honour of representing their county Lancashire. Madeleine retired from running Britain's only lawnmower museum in Southport, and acts as a host with her calming manner being much appreciated by the many guests who have played with her over the past 15 years. They are often asked which is their favourite UK Venue and the answer is Tedford in Shropshire, where they direct on bank holidays and new year, meeting up with regular guests who have become friends over the years. Malcolm's bridge seminars are well known for their humour and informative bridge tips and are not to be missed! He is also a lifelong suffering supporter of Everton football club, and helps run a fish and chip shop in his spare time! Malcolm's favourite saying in the bridge room, is to remind players that the opposition is sat to the left and right, not opposite! Something we should all try to remember."

"Ian has been a director for more than 20 years becoming the SBU chief national director before recently retiring from that position. During that time he has organised many local, national and international events in Scotland. Liz and Ian started running bridge holidays over 15 years ago. Their aim is to provide the best possible overall holiday experience where the bridge is well organised but with an emphasis on a relaxed, friendly atmosphere so that all players, regardless of ability or experience, can have an enjoyable game."

"Sue has been playing bridge for over 40 years and has been a td since 2012. Phil learned to play more recently and they play regularly at their local club in rugby. When they retired 2 years ago they were looking for a new challenge and hosting for bridge overseas fits the bill, taking them to places they haven't visited before whilst meeting new people and getting the occasional game of bridge. Their other interests include musical theatre and attempting to learn ballroom dancing. They like to keep active and sue goes to zumba classes while Phil goes cycling. Phil loves any sort of music and everything stops in their house for the daily popmaster quiz on radio 2."

"After a recent sabbatical, I am now in my 10th year of directing for Bridge Overseas, starting from scratch I have now done 171 holidays, mostly in the UK but occasionally doing some overseas. I moved to Dolgellau 9 years ago, where Julie has lived for over 30 years. Prior to that I was a competitive bridge player, representing Wales on over 50 occasions and achieving a target of winning the home international series in 2011, it had taken Wales 73 years to do this Like all our regular director’s I seem to have built up a number of “regulars” and in fact on a recent holiday in Llandudno I had met 38 of the 40 people on the holiday before, most more than once. Being a LIST type of person I have so far met over 2600 different customers which is still only about a quarter of those on Bridge Overseas database, I believe With so much time spent indoors away from bridge although we both enjoy walking, whereas Julie is keen on doing a short walk daily I tend to set myself challenges and my current one is to climb all the Wainwright’s, of which there are 214, in the Lake District. So far I have done just over half of them. I have previously completed the South West coastal path which goes from Minehead to Poole- it did take me 10 years. It is obviously a family thing as my sister is now doing the same, all in stages. I also am trying to do as many Sustran’s cycle routes as I can find the time for, and last one to complete was Way of Roses and then back from Whitby to Barrow on Furness, an 8 day project of about 350 miles. Julie tends to lean towards more creative pastimes , involved in a local writing group, singing and music groups and using time I am away to keep in touch with her long standing friends in the area. I also completed Land’s End to John O’ Groats cycle challenge in my 60th year. I often get asked which is my favourite venue and I am always hard pushed to think of a reply because what is important to me is different to what is important to a customer. I like the hotels which give continuity of staff and good service and funnily enough these tend to be those with low stars, eg Llandudno. My wife would give different favourites. We do both agree on the venues abroad we have been to – Montecatini and Slovenia "

"Mike and Jeanne have been playing regular club bridge for over 20 years and during this time mike has qualified as a bridge director, cruise director and teacher. Since retiring in 2014 Mike has been teaching bridge to small groups of beginners and improvers in south Somerset and is delighted to see many of his trainees make the transition to playing at local clubs. Mike and Jeanne took over running an annual bridge break in bournemouth 5 years ago and are encouraged to see the event grow from 8 tables to 16. They have also organised numerous bridge themed fund raising events for charities in Somerset. Away from the bridge table, mike is an amateur football referee now in his 40th season whilst Jeanne enjoys gardening, live music gigs and yoga. They both love travel and adding bridge into the mix seems destined to be an ideal combination."

"Ian has been a bridge director for more than 30 years becoming the SBU Chief National Director before retiring from that position in 2015. During that time he organised national and international events as well as many local congresses all over Scotland. Ian started running bridge holidays about 20 years ago. His aim is to provide the best possible overall holiday experience where the bridge is well organised but with an emphasis on a relaxed, friendly atmosphere so that all players, regardless of ability or experience, can have an enjoyable game."

"Cindy has lived in a close knit community in a village in Cambridgeshire for more than 50 years. She is involved in many aspects of village life, including being on the Committee of the Gardening Club and is an active member of the local Bowls Club. She regularly plays for the First team and supports many of the Club's events. She loves her garden and spends many happy hours just pottering! She plays her bridge in local Clubs and also in online events with other Clubs around the UK. Cindy trained to be a Secretary and spent many years working in a medical environment. She joined Guaranteed Events as a host recently and is perfectly suited to the role. She is very gregarious, loves meeting people and is a good bridge player to boot. More than anything she loves a good natter!"

"David joined the Guaranteed Events team early in 2022 and has Directed and Hosted many holidays since in the UK, Europe and one in Asia. He learnt and fell in love with bridge in his teens but only started playing bridge seriously some 30 years ago. He plays F2F bridge in several Clubs and online too. He has represented his County on many occasions and is a qualified EBU Director. He is a Bridge teacher and has taught on several courses for Beginners and Improvers, many of whom have gone on to be regular and accomplished players. He has played bridge on 5 continents, would like to add South America to the list but has no wish to include Antarctica! David has been known to swing a golf club but, unfortunately, more often in the wrong direction! He spent a full career in teaching, training and development and HR management before retiring in 2004. He is very much a "people's person" and enjoys mixing with the lovely people who join us on our Bridge holidays."

"Represented GB in Junior European Championships in 1976. Retired GP in 2009 to concentrate on bridge teaching and working on cruise ships and for UK based holidays for GE with my wife Chris. Since she passed away 3 years ago I feel I would like to continue the teaching aspect by assisting the main directors and doing the morning seminars and duplicate."

"I live in a small town on the East Sussex coast enjoying both the sea and countryside. I started to learn bridge after retiring from a long nursing career in anaesthetics and surgery. I have hosted many bridge holidays both in the uk and overseas and love meeting people and making them feel welcome enabling them to get the most fun and enjoyment from their holidays. I particularly like to support our solo guests and the bridge directors When at home my priority is spending time with my family. When not playing bridge I am a pianist and a keen gardener I also like to walk on the South Downs I swim in the sea in the summer months and cycle."

"Gayle and Colin’s bridge career began in the mid 70’s, when as a newly married couple they attended their first bridge lesson. Within 6 weeks they played in the prestigious Palace Hotel Congress in Torquay where they finished bottom in their first three sessions and then in the fourth they came second to bottom. They were delighted to have “beaten someone” – and at that moment they got the bug! Over the next 40 or so years they played more and more bridge and both got involved in their club and county committees. In 2021 Gayle joined the Board of the EBU with her remit being to represent the grassroots bridge players who form the vast majority of the EBU members. In 2019 they both finally won their 600th green point enabling them to claim the title of Grandmasters. However, they were the first to admit that this title is in recognition of the fact that they had been playing for over 40 years, had played in a lot of tournaments and spent a lot of money on their addiction to the game! When Covid closed down almost all face to face bridge, they turned to online bridge and spent much of their time helping those less IT literate how to keep in touch by playing “virtual” bridge. Mid December 2021 they received a call from Simon Kelly asking if they would run a bridge holiday over the forthcoming Christmas period. They had occasionally helped out on some holidays and on cruise ships, but this would be their first time on their own. They bit the bullet and said yes – all went well – they survived the few days and discovered they had got a new passion! Since then they have run over 30 holidays for Guaranteed Events both in the UK and overseas – and love waiting to see where Simon is going to send them next! They both strive to make sure everyone enjoys their holidays. Colin looks after the bridge – whilst Gayle tries to ensure that everyone feels welcome and that the single players are matched with suitable partners. "

"Bridge Expert Profile Experience: Over 35 years of playing bridge both socially and professionally. Innovations: Developed a series of unique bridge programmes, including a ‘Self-Assessment Module’ aimed at enhancing players’ skills across all levels. Achievements: Winner of numerous local and national tournaments in the UK. Notable victory in the prestigious UK EBU National Pairs. Set the ‘World Record for playing bridge continuously’ in 2003. Contributions to Education: Established teaching programmes at several esteemed clubs, including YCBC, WBC, ROSL, TDEGC, and Queens Tennis Club. Delivered a multitude of bridge seminars and presentations. This profile not only underscores his expertise and accomplishments but also his dedication to fostering the growth of bridge players through innovative teaching and directing methods."

"Hi, I'm Sue Lison and am a host for Guaranteed Events. I love this, as I enjoy meeting so many interesting people. Now retired from the hospitality industry, I have time to pursue my other passions, bridge being top of the list. I also enjoy salsa dancing, yoga, walking and of course food & wine."

"Gordon started playing bridge at school and has never stopped since. He has been running bridge holidays for over 25 years; teaching bridge for over 30 years; and been a TD for 25 years, reaching County TD level. He now works with EBED teaching potential club directors. As a player, he is a Life Master and has represented his county on numerous occasions. He has an interest in bridge books and catalogued the EBU's library some years ago. He firmly believes bridge is a social game."

"I have enjoyed hosting bridge holidays with Guaranteed Events now for many years. I have been playing bridge for about 38 years and qualified as a club director. I hosted for Manchester Bridge for many years."