Luck of the Scottish!

Partick & Dunfermline bingo players bring home £100,000 in TWO DAYS

Since Scottish bingo clubs re-opened their doors to customers in May over 50% of big wins on the National Bingo Game have been in Scotland, with the lucky Jackpot winners sharing in over £350,000 in prize money. It’s no wonder Scottish players love their bingo.

Of ten top level Jackpot Prizes won on the National Bingo Game this year six have been claimed in Scotland: Dundee, Greenock (twice), Motherwell and now in rapid succession Partick and Dunfermline, where players each won £50,000 on Tuesday 6th and Wednesday 7th July, both at clubs run by Scotland’s largest independent bingo operator, Carlton Bingo

Regular players at Carlton Bingo Partick saw a 78 year-old mother of two, grandmother of two and great grandmother of one, who has been playing bingo and loving bingo for over 59 years call house on the afternoon of Tuesday 6th July.

The lucky winner had been introduced to the game by her elder sister who sadly died a number of years ago.  The winner and her two sisters were all bingo fans and previously she had won and shared prizes of £2,000 and £5,000, but nothing prepared for this latest win!

The Partick winner was with a friend and her daughter, having a catch-up, when her bingo took an unexpected and exciting turn. While playing the National Bingo Game her numbers just kept coming out and suddenly she realised she was calling house!  The house prize was a sure win, but then the caller confirmed that she had actually won a £50,000 jackpot Prize! She could not believe her luck!

Talking with players and staff after the win was confirmed, she said: “I love my bingo and always have. I am only a little sad that neither of my sisters are here to share my latest and biggest win, as we always shared, even 50p!

“I still enjoy coming as it’s a great place to make new friends and winning is always a bonus.”

Gary Duncanson, General Manager at Carlton Bingo Partick said, “It is always great to see people win, but there is something really wonderful about seeing a regular win the big £50,000 Jackpot prize on the National Bingo Game, especially after such a difficult year: the winner lost her second sister earlier this year, so there were a lot of tears shed in the afternoon by staff and customers. Mostly tears of joy, tinged with a little sadness.

The following day another Carlton Bingo customer, this time at the Dunfermline club in Fife Leisure Park scooped another £50,000 Jackpot prize.

The lucky winner is a regular player at the club, having also been a regular at the club’s previous location at the Alhambra in Canmore Street: she loves her bingo, as it’s a great social night out with friends and once the tears of joy and surprise had subsided she confessed to being totally shocked by the win, but that she is also a firm believer that you have to be in it to win it.

Graham Lowson, General Manager at Carlton Bingo Dunfermline said: “We were all very excited on the night of the win and it was great to see such a huge National Bingo Game prize go to a regular player here at Carlton Bingo: it really is a great feeling when a customer gets a big win and to hear the club cheer.

“Carlton Dunfermline is no stranger to big wins, we have had three £50,000 winners before this one, and Carlton Bingo is clearly on a winning streak as yesterday afternoon Carlton Partick also had a thrilled £50,000 winner – that’s what I call afternoon delight!”

Alastair Stewart, Business Development Manager at the National Bingo Game said: “We are thrilled for our latest lucky National Bingo Game £50,000 Jackpot winners in Partick and Dunfermline and we hope that they enjoy their winnings.

“Scotland does seem to be lucky for bingo fans who also claimed Jackpot prizes on 27th June as part of this year’s National Bingo Day.”                                                                                               
To find a participating club and for further information on the National Bingo Game visit www.nationalbingo.co.uk. or follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NationalBingoGame) and Twitter.com @nationalbingo.

All players must be aged 18 or over.  The National Bingo Game is played under the provisions of The Gambling Act 2005 and played under National Bingo Game Players’ Rules.

Players should always gamble responsibly.  For more information and advice visit www.BeGambleAware.org

Ballots not Bingo at Millennium Centre!

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Due to Muirhouse Millennium Centre being a main venue for voters during all elections bingo has been cancelled this month. Next session will be advertised on our Facebook page and N.E.N website, and we hope to see you all soon, especially as he weather gets a a bit kinder to us!

James McGinty

Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre AGM tomorrow

Wednesday 2 December 7pm

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Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre AGM

Are you interested in being more active in your local community and shaping the future of your Neighbourhood Centre?

Drylaw Telford Community Association is looking for local people to join the Centre’s management committee.

Come along to the meeting tomorrow evening to find out more – and there are refreshments and bingo after the meeting too!

 

Eyes down in Muirhouse

Jackie rolls back into Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre tomorrow for her monthly Prize Bingo session (writes James McGinty)

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PRIZE BINGO

Wednesday 4 November, 7.00 for 7.30 pm

Last year the bingo fell on the 5th of November and for the safety of the participants, it was put forward. For details of the night (times and admission prices) click HERE

Eyes down for final session of 2014

Jackie’s Christmas Bingo

Wednesday 17 December  

Doors Open 7.00pm, Eyes Down 7.30pm

bingo1Jackie ends her Bingo sessions for 2014 with a Christmas Extravaganza tomorrow (Wednesday 17th). This will be some Bingo Session, Jackie says!

We at the Centre would like to thank all the faithful followers of the bingo (with a difference!)

Our thanks to Link-Up (Scotland) – a Scottish Government initiative who recognised the need for a venue to replace the local bingo hall and surveyed the community on the closure of the Granton bingo venue.

Our thanks to Jackie for all her hard work

Finally ( On behalf of the Board and Bingo fans) our gratitude and thanks to staff and volunteers staying on at night, throughout the year making all this possible.

Happy Christmas and an enjoyable last Bingo Session of 2014!

Jim McGinty, Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre

Government bingo!

Dear Editor

I thought George Osborne would be interested in my extended playing of Bingo, with the caller’s comments:

By itself, number 1 … Tory philosophy

By itself, number 4 … Out the door – bedroom tax

By itself, number 5 … Wasted years

By itself, number 8 … show them the gate!

Number 10 … Cameron’s Den – not for long!

Legs, 11 … Osborne will need them!

Unlucky for some, 13 …. for about sixty million!

Blind, 20 … Cabinet profile

Two little ducks, 22 … Quack, quack, Jeremy!

Three and one, 31 … we’ve been done!

Blind, 40 … plus Ali Baba

Five and seven, 57 … Tory heaven

The Brighton Line, five and nine, 59 … Let’s call time!

Clickety click, 66 … Any new tricks?

Any way up, six and nine, 69 … mine, mine, mine!

HOUSE!

Prize – a lemon! Game over.

 

A. Delahoy

Silverknowes Gardens

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Eyes down – bingo’s back in Muirhouse!

by Robert Pearson

Over recent years we have seen bingo halls close over Edinburgh, many reasons spring to mind including the smoking ban. North Edinburgh’s nearest bingo hall – the Gala in West Granton – closed many years ago. At its peak you would see many people queuing outside to be first in to get their preferred seats. After the closure the area was left without any bingo facilities at all.

Well, this all changed last month when Muirhouse resident Jackie Brown -‘Big Jackie’ – heard of a new and exciting opportunity: Inspiring Scotland’s Link Up programme was in town and was working with individuals and groups in Muirhouse. Jackie and a few others met up with Link Up development worker Julie Crawford and plans were put in motion to relaunch bingo in North Edinburgh.

Speaking to Jackie I asked her why she thought this was a good idea for Muirhouse and greater North Edinburgh:

“Since the closure of the bingo hall in Granton years ago, it has been sadly missed by many. We would all go to the bingo and enjoy the game along with a good chinwag with everyone. When I heard of Link Up I immediately thought we could benefit from this. Julie the Link Up worker has been fantastic and made this all possible, given lots of advice and support. I really hope that we can continue to sustain our new bingo and that it runs for many years to come”

Development worker Julie Crawford tells me:

“ This fantastic idea of Jackie has only been made possible thanks to Inspiring Scotland and their Link Up programme, working very closely with Jackie and Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre I was delighted to see the first bingo game last month. Jackie is a very passionate about Muirhouse and will do everything possible to make this sustainable”

It was a nervous wait for the first bingo session to come, as often events are arranged in Muirhouse and the take up is not particularly good. Well, there was no need to be nervous as a fantastic 29 people turned in to the Community Centre to have their first game of bingo in years.

‘Eyes down and ready for your first number’ was called, the excitement was clear in the hall, these ladies were at home enjoying bingo in the heart of Muirhouse! “Bingo” – we had our first winner! Jackie had done it – the people of Muirhouse and North Edinburgh really were playing bingo in front of her very own eyes! Soon it was the interval and there was a positive vibe about the centre and women laughed and chatted with one another.

Due to the fantastic success of the first bingo, Jackie is pleased to confirm that bingo is here to stay – well, at least for the time being. She really hopes to welcome even more people this month.

Jackie and all the ladies who attended last month’s bingo thank all the staff at Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre, as without their support this would not have been possible.

Link Up Muirhouse is delivered by Muirhouse Youth Development Group in partnership with, and through funding from, Inspiring Scotland. Inspiring Scotland’s Link Up programme is supported by the CashBack for Communities programme. CashBack for Communities is a Scottish Government programme which takes funds recovered from the proceeds of crime and invests them into free activities and programmes for people across Scotland.

The next Bingo night is Wednesday 24 October, for more information: 07928 116 375