Saturday 5th of December 2009
Heart-warming story of charity bingo couple
We all know that bingo has an amazing track record when it comes to supporting good causes but one kind-hearted couple has taken the game to a whole new level.
Phyllis and Jim Martin, a husband and wife team from Staffordshire, staged their last ever bingo night on Wednesday, November 25th 2009, reports The Sentinel.
It marks the end of an era because the pair has been putting on an average of three bingo games per year since 1964.
Over the course of the last 45 years, it is estimated that they have raised more than £130,000 for good causes like charities, special-needs schools and GP surgeries.
Final charity bingo session proves a winner
The final event alone at Baddeley Green Working Men's Club generated £2,380 for a University Hospital of North Staffordshire ward that specialises in lower gastrointestinal complaints.
That's because more than 130 people came along to support the bingo night and compete for prizes such as Gordon Ramsey dinner sets and filled coffee, tea and sugar jars.
Now, the couple has decided to bow out on a high and allow Phyllis to recuperate from the heart attack she suffered in 2008.
She said: "Everyone who comes, loves it. I told them this was the last one but they're hoping I'll keep going.
"Every year, I say it's my last one, but this time I mean it. I just felt it was time to pack it in."
In related news, a bingo fundraiser is currently being planned down in Cornwall.
Bingo games and quiz questions will be on the agenda at an event in the Robert Harvey Memorial Hall on Friday, December 11th 2009.
All the money raised will be donated directly to Grampound Road Pre-School.
