bingo holds a very special place in many people’s hearts in the United Kingdom, and some like me, have been involved in the industry and have seen it grow, wane, nearly die, and now grow again. But now that the industry is reviving, I and others are very anxious that the recession does not damage the growth of Bingo, at a time when we all are looking for some fun, relaxation and community spirit in these austere times.

A well-known retail expert, Mary Portas, star of TV show Mary Queen of Shops, was asked by Parliament to review Britain’s High Streets, including Bingo. Her independent Review Of the High Streets, presented to Parliament at the end of last year, raised issues that are not only significant to the future of towns and city centres, but also the fabric and structure of our local communities. It was an innovative and adventurous report. It was warmly received by those in the Bingo industry, managers, callers, and of course players!

Reading her report, it strikes me as an endorsement of Bingo as a good way to bring people together for a bit of community fun and I applaud her call for more Bingo nights on our high streets. She made reference to bingo as a possible means of re-building communities and increasing social interaction. Some politicians scoffed at this and thought it far-fetched. But if you look at the post-war history of the UK there was a great desire for coming together, cohesion and support to recover and help each other from the deprivations of six years of conflict. Bingo filled that requirement. The times then were austere and there was considerable hardship as food was rationed and there was little or no spare money for entertainment. While you cannot draw direct comparisons, now also is a time when social cohesion and inclusion has become important to the future of our communities, as traditional opportunities (and money) for interaction and social coalescence fall away.  While we no longer need to go to town and community centres for many traditional shopping activities, communities still need ‘town centres’ and opportunities for social interaction, in order to flourish and grow.

The Mall, the out-of-town shopping complex may be all well and good, but it’s hardly a community is it? It draws people in from many surrounding areas and communities, and is usually large, and to my mind impersonal and unfriendly. Not unfriendly in that sales assistants or waitresses or whatever are impolite, it’s just that they do not know you, they see hundreds and thousands of people and therefore there is no time for establishing conversations and relationships. The primary purpose of the Mall and out-of-town shopping area is to sell and make money, not to foster community spirit.

The High Street can still do that, even if you still want to do your shopping out of town. In local pubs, clubs, hairdressers, nail parlours and coffee shops you will bump into people from your area more regularly, and have the opportunity to get to know them. And of course one of the best ways to do this is at a local High Street Bingo Hall.\

I hope that her report is taken forward, and that the Bingo revival continues to flourish. Maybe I’ll see you at your local Bingo Hall soon- good luck!