IT started off with just five players. Now as it marks its 40 anniversary, Raychem Netball Club has 80 members ranging in age from just six to 80.

It was started by Mo Squires in 1979 at what was then one of Swindon’s largest employers Raychem.

Two other employees – Pat Randall and Colette James – encouraged her to start the club as something social but it became something much bigger.

Mo, 65, of Cheney Manor, never believed it would become something so big.

She said: “We have a really strong team and it’s a wonderful opportunity for people to have some fun. It started with just five of us from the office and now we have over 200 members.

"The youngest is six and the eldest is 80.

“We just had the one team and then about the third year in we enough for multiple teams. When we started running our junior club 25 years ago I knew then that we were going to be pretty big.”

Colette, 61, moved from Swindon to Cirencester so she doesn’t play with them anymore but she spoke about why she encourage Mo to start it up.

"Mo, myself and Pat started it together and we just had such a laugh," she said.

"Only three of us could play at the time and then we got five others who had never played beyond sports at school. But it was the fun of it that encouraged us to start and to keep going.”

Even though it did not start off as much they have now had 300 members over the years.

The club, which has seven teams, has won multiple awards including the England Netball Golden Globe for Outstanding Club in 2014.

And it won England Netball Club Action Playing Scheme at the gold level for the past 10 years.

CAPS provides netball clubs with a structure and plan for development, which has the player as its primary focus.

Mo told the Adver: “There’s a terrific amount of hard work that goes into it and I would like to see us still playing in 10 years when we celebrate our 50th.”

The anniversary will let old and new members meet and look back at the years that they’ve been playing.

They will be celebrating on September 7 at The Deanery, Peglars Way in Wichelstowe at 6.30pm.

For more details and tickets you can contact katebridgeman@ymail.com