Listen to this article:Today marks the grand reopening for Cowdenbeath’s bingo hall following its forced closure more than a year ago.
Shorty’s Bingo and Social Club is holding a day of special offers and prizes to celebrate its relaunch today. The venue, which used to be called Premier Bingo, had to close suddenly in August 2023 after the company fell into administration. Whether the closure was due to the expansion of online bingo sites or other factors, we can’t say, as Premier Bingo never released a statement explaining the reasons for its closure.
However, it didn’t take long for the former manager at Premier Bingo, Thomas Wilson, to step in and announce that he was taking over the lease of the bingo hall on the High Street with the intention of reopening its doors.
Speaking about his decision to rename the venue, Thomas said:
“My mum, she was only 4ft10, and I called her Shorty. And I looked after my mum, and lived with her until she died. I looked after her as working, and obviously she’s not here, but I thought it was appropriate to call it Shorty’s.”
Thomas, who has worked at the bingo hall for more than three decades, ran an online fundraiser to help with the costs and also invested his own money in order to revive the premises. That enabled him to start running club bingo sessions twice a week at the bingo hall, along with some special events to help cover the costs until he received his license to fully open again.
Speaking about the reopening, Thomas said:
“I am delighted about it but I am very nervous as well because with the club not being fully opened for the last year. The days we have not been opening, I don’t know how many customers will come back on these days. The two days we have been open, they have been really busy. The support has been really good. There have been lots of new people coming along.
A lot of people have not been back because they prefer the electronic machines so we have now got these machines so hopefully they can come back.
Every day I am asked about 20 times when we will be fully opening and I have been having to say I don’t have a date – I nearly got a t-shirt saying it! It has been a long haul but we have eventually got there. “
From today, Friday, 8 November, Shorty’s Bingo and Social Club will be welcoming players six days a week to enjoy a variety of games.
Thomas said that there will be electronic bingo, paper bingo, and tabletop bingo with special prizes up for grabs on Friday. He explained that he has been running pub bingo sessions on Tuesday and Friday nights and that they will remain a fixture at the club.
However, he stressed that it is a social club as well as a bingo hall, and it will be hosting special events on Saturdays, such as birthday parties and other community events.
He was full of praise for his staff, who he said “have been absolutely amazing. They have been working their socks off doing these part nights and mentally supporting me.”
During the opening day, the afternoon session promises no less than two £50 house prizes and two £100 house prizes, while in the evening, there will be two £100 house prizes, one £150 house prize, and one £200 house prize.
Going forward, Shorty’s Bingo and Social Club will open on Tuesday afternoons and evenings, Wednesday afternoons and evenings, Thursday afternoons, Friday afternoons and evenings, Saturday afternoons and Sunday evenings. The afternoon sessions take place at 12:30 pm, 1:15 pm, and 1:45 pm, while the evening games are at 6:30 pm, 7 pm, and 7:30 pm.
In addition to bingo, visitors will also be able to enjoy fruit machines and there will be food and drink for sale.
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