A couple who share a love of board games are encouraging more people to join their Sunday evening club.

Alec and Naama Morrell, who live on Crossall Street, say it’s time to embrace the simple gaming tradition, which is a great way to relax and socialise no matter what your age or ability.

Alec, 26, explained board games are becoming more popular, and while some people just want to ‘unplug’ from their screens, for others it can help tackle depression, anxiety and Alzheimer’s.

He said: “I suffer from anxiety. But when you are playing a board game it just disappears. There are no awkward silences when you are playing a game, you can either talk or not.”

Alec and Naama set up the ‘Guardians of Games’ board game club last Christmas, and now have 150 members, with up to 30 players attending a session.

Alec and Naama Morrell, who set up the club, say its a great way to make friends and have fun on a Sunday evening

Alec, who works at Aldi, added: “We like playing board games and a few of our friends said they would be up for setting up a group, so we did and really enjoyed it.

“I’ve put a few flyers out and set up a Facebook group and now we’ve got 150 followers.”

He added: “We want put ourselves out there and let people know we’re here. It’s a great way to meet new friends.

“There are thousands of different themes, styles and ways to score points and the games can last ten minutes or up to a few hours. If you say you don’t like playing board games, you just haven’t found the right game yet.”

Alec and Naama – who have amassed a collection of more than 100 games – provide the games each week and will begin the evening by talking new players through the rules.

Alec, who hopes to one day open a board game cafe in the town, added: “I would encourage anyone to come along and give it a go.

“If anxiety is something you suffer from then you can come along with a friend and we can set you up on a table on your own before your confident to play with a bigger group.

“It can be a step by step process, we just want people to know that they can come along and feel welcome.”

The free group meets at the Snowgoose from 6.30pm every Sunday. All ages welcome, just go along.

For more information, follow the group on Facebook at Macclesfield Board Game Group: Guardians of the Games .