On May 17th, we saw most bingo halls re-opened here in the UK – and players have flooded back to their local clubs in droves. The live bingo industry has suffered massively over the last year during the pandemic due to club closures, and some bingo bosses were even forced to close some of their doors for good.
There have been huge concerns as to whether the bingo hall industry would be able to survive such devastating closures and lockdowns etc over the last year, but luckily players have flocked back almost immediately for some live bingo action. Clubs all over the country have welcomed back some extremely happy members, and bingo friends and ‘families’ have been reunited after what proved to be a pretty grim year.
All venues will still have certain social distancing measures in place until lockdown is lifted completely, but this hasn’t stopped players donning a mask to meet up with pals and get back in the game. Unfortunately, business isn’t suddenly booming entirely of course, as the last year really has taken its toll – but it is great to see that people do still crave that live bingo experience, as the traditional bingo hall is where it all began after all…
Bingo Is Back – And Spirits Are Up
After over a year of closures, and several false starts/openings, the bingo hall industry is finally back with a bang.
According to a recent article for BBC News, players have been desperate to get back to local bingo halls since the most recent lockdown.
But not just for the bingo itself it seems…
Bingo With Pals – ‘Much More Than Just A Game’
Members of a Jackpot Bingo club in Northern Ireland said how much they’d missed the live and social experience that bingo gives them, and they also said how excited they were to catch up on several months of gossip too.
One regular at the club, Sharon Lindsey said the following:
It was like a dream come true. I couldn’t wait until 6pm when the doors opened, even though the bingo doesn’t start until 8pm.
Another member, Mary Doek said:
You missed your friends. We don’t drink, we don’t smoke – this is our night out.
‘It’s Good To See People Back’ – Staff Enjoy Seeing Members Smile Again
It’s not just the players that are thrilled to be back playing either, bingo club staff are also overjoyed to be back in the workplace.
Manager of this particular Northern Irish club, Ciaran Gallagher – spoke about how important the social aspect of bingo is for some people.
He said:
Some members live by themselves and haven’t seen anybody for the past 5 months. I have been here 12 years so some of my friends are the pensioners, and it’s good to see them back again as well as knowing they are well and safe.
He also said that staff are continuing to make every effort to abide by social distancing laws i.e. wearing masks and cleaning tables down etc, as there is an awareness that some players may still be vulnerable to the virus even though they’ve been vaccinated.
Socialising And Mental Health
We’ve always know how great getting out and about is for both our physical and mental health, but it’s become so much more apparent recently since such long periods of isolation.
You really can’t beat the feeling of a live night out with friends or family, so it’s brilliant now that things are starting to re-open and get back up and running.
It may take a while for things to feel properly ‘normal’ again of course, but the fact that people can now meet up again and hug and socialise etc – albeit with precautions, is really wonderful news all around. So many people spent months in isolation and away from others, which really did affect their health, especially mentally.
We may not know exactly what lies ahead now going forward, but if the vaccine roll out continues to work, and cases remain low, we should hopefully all be able to enjoy a much brighter summer this year – fingers crossed…