I AM writing regarding our recent visit to Gigg Lane, home of Bury FC.

My eldest son, Daniel, collects keyrings from as many football grounds as we can possibly visit. We live in Sheffield and he is a keen Sheffield Wednesday supporter.

In the summer, we decided to visit clubs in the Lancashire area. Normally we just purchase a keyring from the club shop, take a photograph of my sons outside the stadium, and that completes the visit.

However, when we visited Bury FC we were directed to the Forever Bury supporters club shop. We were greeted by a friendly gentleman called Dave Giffard who was very helpful and full of enthusiasm about Bury FC. We purchased a keyring and he then offered us a look around the ground, which we accepted.

We were able to take pictures, and Mr Giffard told us about the club, its history, and the players. He also told us about improvements the club would like to make -- with a little more financial backing. I don't think people realise how hard it is for the smaller clubs to survive.

We then went on to meet the players and manager, all of whom were extremely polite and had time to talk to us. My sons were in awe! This was a refreshing and enjoyable visit and shows what a friendly, family-oriented club Bury FC is.

I extend my thanks to Mr Giffard and to the manager and players for making it such a nice visit. We always check the results now to see how Bury have done.

Good luck for the future, and many thanks again Mr Giffard.

J. RYAN (Mrs)