STOCK MARKET "raiders" from Ramsbottom are celebrating success as share-pickers of the year.

The ten family and friends who make up the Belcombe Investment Club left professional pundits in the shade with their shareholdings soaring by 32 per cent in just nine months.

That compared with a rise of only nine per cent in the FOOTSIE stock exchange index.

It took assets for members, who save just £25 a month, to more than £40,000.

And it scooped a £1,500 jackpot prize as Belcombe became the national ProShare organisation's most successful investment club of the year - coming top out of more than 400 competing clubs.

ProShare, which gives advice and encourages share ownership, says the local club, set up 10 years ago, easily outstripped the performance of the vast majority of professionally-managed funds. Belcombe members who hold their regular joint business and social get-togethers in the White Horse, Helmshore, will be celebrating with a dinner and putting the remainder of the prize back into investments.

"At just £25 a month, it is fun money and we get a terrific amount of and excitement from it," said group treasurer and retired Blackburn police Superintendent, Brian Woodend. Members are thanking their lucky star performers for the success - not least building and construction group, Jarvis, whose shares have rocketed from 23p to £1.71 - providing a £13,000 profit.

Brian says the group's winning strategy has been to buy further into successful shares, banking on them going higher, rather than selling to take a profit.

Success follows a near-disastrous start for the club in 1987 when just months before the stock market crash Belcombe's share values crumbled from around £1,500 to £600.

"But it was only a paper loss and we kept hold of the shares and in due course they bounced back," added Brian, who said members were delighted with the latest success.

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