Listen to this article:A man from Chesterfield has launched a weekly bingo night as part of his one-man mission to help and revive the fortunes of two traditional working men’s clubs.
Malcolm Hancock, a 49-year-old roofer, has been a visitor to the Grassmoor Club on Mill Lane for many years, as well as North Wingfield Miners Welfare on Williamthorpe Road. Over the years, he has seen the clubs’ popularity fall where they were once the bedrock of their communities. The struggle to keep UK bingo halls alive in the digital age, which we introduced you to recently, is a significant challenge for some of these venues.
Speaking about the clubs, he said:
““The situation is desperate. These are hard times for people in clubs. Not a lot of people are going in. Most people can’t afford to go out drinking like they used to. The atmosphere’s gone. As a member at Grassmoor, I’ve seen times get worse and worse. There are only a handful of people in during the week, and Saturday night’s gone downhill. They’re not in a financial position to spend a lot of money on ‘turns’ like they used to. I live in North Wingfield, and the working men’s club here shut a couple of years ago. Others are already long gone. That’s why I want to bring a bit more life into these places. If things don’t pick up, I don’t know how long they’ve got left. We need to use them or lose them.”
His solution, the launch of regular bingo nights in Grassmoor Club, has been met with some scepticism. He said that people have told him that it wouldn’t work, but nonetheless, he has asked the clubs to provide him with a big room on Friday nights and said that he will cover the costs.
Both clubs still host the occasional quiet game of bingo, but Malcolm and his assistant Wayne are hoping to turn them into major nights out, complete with large cash prizes, numerous ways to win, and a bit of live entertainment.
He added:
“It’s a bit of fun, not dead straight. There’s music, I’ll tell a few jokes and even dress up as a clown to call the numbers, just to get people more in the spirit, rather than have the place feel like a morgue. I’ve bought an old-style bingo machine I found on the internet and read a few books to get me started. It’s all new to me otherwise.”
He began running the bingo nights in Grassmoor in June and since then, Malcolm has been collecting feedback from players and refining the evenings. At present, they include Irish bingo, ‘Play Your Cards Right’, and soon, he will be adding a round of ‘Deal or No Deal’ inspired by the famous TV game.
There has already been some positive feedback, with one of the players, Michele, saying, “I can’t wait until next week. It brings the community together. It’s the best night out I’ve had in a long time.” There was an event on Friday, July 26, at Grassmoor, which attracted a large field of players and then the first bingo evening was held in North Wingfield on August 2. From now on, the evenings will alternate between the two clubs each week.
Non-club members are welcome to come and join in the fun, with doors opening at 7 pm and the games beginning at 8 pm. It costs just £15 for eight games of bingo and between £1 and £5 for entrance to the extra side games.
Malcolm is hoping that the prize money will grow and attract more players:
“I’m wanting them to be the only working men’s clubs in Chesterfield paying £1,000 out for the flyer. That’s what my goal is in building the nights up. To do this, we need at least 100 players.”
We do not sell or share your information with anyone. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Latest
