The Vasco Da Gama Club is going from strength to strength on the anniversary of its merger with the Portuguese Cultural Association says club President Tony Da Costa.

He has just returned from the Azores where the club signed a protocol with Azorean president Carlos Cesar who pledged to put in half the funds for a new venue for the Portuguese language school.

And Mr. Cesar will be honoured by the Reid Street venue when he visits the club for the Portuguese national day on June 10. Mr. Da Costa said the link with the Azorean government came when a delegation visited the club and invited a group back to their islands, a visit which happened earlier this month.

?We are delighted he?s accepted an invitation to come here on June 10 which is Portugal?s national day,? said Mr. Da Costa who was annoyed initial reports of the news did not fully credit the club.

?It is the first time the President of the Azores has come to celebrate with us.

?It was very difficult to make that decision because there are elections then.?

Cocktails are planned at the Vasco Da Gama on June 9 with Bermudian dignitaries also invited while a gala dinner is planned at one of the larger hotels for the day itself.

He said: ?The Azorean Government backs us 100 percent.

?They are responsive to what we are doing, trying to keep the Portuguese language alive here.?

The club rents space at Mount Saint Agnes hopes to have a dedicated classroom. He says this was vital when many Azorean linked families were having to head home after staying in Bermuda. ?It?s good for the children to be able to speak to their grandparents.?

Language teacher Marco Lima has around 75 students between the ages of six and 18 who do two one-and-a-half-hour sessions weekly.

?I have six different levels,? said Mr. Lima.

There is also a class for Bermudian children with no Portuguese links who have signed up because they are intrigued by the language and see it has a wider use as the fifth or sixth most common language in the world.

Mr. Da Costa said the school was expanding from language into the cultural realm.

?We are heading in the right direction. All I see is growth ahead of us.?

He said key to the expansion of activities for the Island?s Azores-linked element was the merging of the Vasco Da Gama club with the Portuguese Cultural Association one year ago.

He credits the associations leaders Joe Benevides, Joe Fagundo and Nelia Damasio with helping smooth the merger which has ensured further growth. Mr. Da Costa, who moved to Bermuda when he was ten, is in his third term as president of the 300-member club and is trying to expand its base from sport into cultural realms, putting third or fourth generation immigrants in touch with their roots.

Bands practice there and he hopes to expand the upstairs of the club to seat 300 with a kitchen and to have a specialist chef serving Portuguese food, possibly to non members on occasion. He said: ?That?s why I hope to achieve in my term as president and I hope to get it approved by the membership.?

The club is also looking forward to running the Festa do Senho Santo Cristo at BAA in May ? the first time it has taken it on since taking over from the Portuguese Cultural Association.