Listen to this article:In another excellent example of how bingo can benefit the whole community, a recent charity bingo lunch in Glasgow raised more than £32,000 for Children’s Hospices Across Scotland.
The event took place at the Hilton on William Street and it was raising money for the charity that provides hospice services for babies, children, and young people with life-shortening conditions across Scotland. The charity runs Rachel House in Kinross and Robin House in Balloch and also provides at-home support right across the nation.
Those who attended the musical quiz bingo lunch were treated to an afternoon of fun and games led by renowned Scottish comedian and Heart FM Drivetime host Des Clarke. There was also entertainment provided by West End star Shona white and the popular Scottish band BLEEKER.
While it was a fun-filled event, it was also about the important work that CHAS does. As such, the special guest of honour was CHAS parent Jennifer Stewart, who spoke movingly about her son Luke and the support they received from the charity after his death aged eight in 2018.
CHAS Chaplain Amanda Reid introduced a short film about the work the charity does in the Grampian region. He spoke about the bereavement work she does with families right across Scotland.
Charity bingo events are quite common; those who enjoy the game often have generous hearts. We’ve previously showcased similar events: bingo players help St. Ives Lifeboat Station and charity bingo to support Air Ambulance.
CHAS had set a target of raising £6,500 from its Direct Appeal to support its newly created bereavement team. Thanks to the generosity of guests, they were able to raise £10,000 and with the added support of sponsors and prize donors, an incredible £56,000 was raised, some of which went on costs.
CHAS Events Fundraiser Emma Campbell said:
“Special thanks must go to our parent speaker Jennifer who spoke so touchingly about how CHAS helped her family. Thanks also to everyone involved in making this event such a huge success including our volunteers, entertainers, prize donors, sponsors and of course all our wonderful guests for their incredible support. We are extremely pleased to announce that with the support of our guests, sponsors and prizes donors, we managed to raise an incredible £32,000 after costs which will go directly to our services.”
In addition to taking part in the musical bingo games, there was also a silent auction with items available ranging from hospice artwork to luxury weekends away across the UK and beyond.
Guests were treated to three games of musical bingo. The first, at 1 pm, was hosted by Des Clarke.
He played a range of modern, fun, popular music ranging from Clean Bandit to Calvin Harris & Rihanna, with a top prize of two VIP Hospitality tickets to see Bananarama at Kelvingrove Park.
Next, at 3 pm, was the ‘Hits of the Musicals’ game hosted by Shona White. It featured the best show tunes from stage and screen with numbers from shows such as The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Saturday Night Fever, Hairspray, Life of Brain, and many more. The winner took home an incredible £1,000 cash.
The final game was Musical Bingo Sing-Along at 3 pm. The band BLEEKER provided the music and the audience sang along to classics such as Gold by Spandau Ballet, Do You Think I’m Sexy by Rod Stewart, Breakfast At Tiffany’s by Deep Blue Something, 500 Miles by The Proclaimers, and more. The winner of that game received two VIP Hospitality tickets to see The Killers and Travis at The Hydro.
Just as online bingo offers extra prizes through chat games, attendees at the charity event had the chance to win spotlight prizes if they had the song that was called when the game was paused. There were prizes on offer, including gift vouchers, crazy morphsuits costumes, hampers, and plenty of booze.
All in all, it was a hugely successful event and a brilliant showcase of how bingo can help draw in the crowds for a truly good cause.
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