iluvbingo.co.uk offers an alternative to stranded bingo hall players

We have recently been informed that the Mecca Bingo club in the town centre of Swindon, Wiltshire is about to close to the general public.

This has left frequent players at the hall upset as they have only been given one week’s notice of the intended closure. 

It has been suggested that the reason for the prompt closure is due to a regeneration programme that is intended for the town centre by Swindon Borough Council.

Phil Young, who is a cabinet member responsible for regeneration and development under Swindon Borough Council, was quoted saying “We would be quite happy for the bingo hall to continue on the site and this decision has come entirely from Mecca Bingo.  We have given no direction to Mecca to leave.  The site was identified as a strategic site for future regeneration and it is council policy to take ownership of those sites as soon as possible.  It is likely that it will form part of the cultural quarter.  At the moment there are no plans to do anything with the site in the immediate future.”

Players are bewildered at the speed of the decision to close.  The Mecca building based at Regent Circus, Swindon has been a prominent feature in the town centre since 1929, starting off its life as a cinema before turning into a bingo hall in 1974.

One local resident, Roy Howland, once worked in the building when it was the Odeon Cinema.  He is one of many locals who is upset at the loss of the building. Roy was quoted saying,  “I heard a little while back that it was going to close but I thought it would be in a couple of years.  I don't know what is going to happen to it now.  I would hate to see it boarded up and left to get covered in graffiti and vandalized.  I have very fond memories of my time there, and I'm sure that goes for a lot of people.”

Our own resident bingo player, Rosie (who lives in Swindon) also recalls fond memories of the Mecca, “I remember going to the Mecca with my mum when I was younger.  My dad, used to have to walk the streets of Swindon while me and mum were playing and then come back to pick us up to go home!”

A spokesperson for Mecca Bingo confirmed that the Bingo hall had been sold to Swindon Borough Council.

Rosie has now been converted to online bingo and we asked her if she missed going to the bingo halls; “I do miss the buzz of going to bingo, but since the smoking ban came in, it hasn't been the same.  Since learning how to use my computer, I am now really into online bingo.  There are so many online bingo sites available through iluvbingo and I can now smoke as much as I like.  I can even put the auto dabber on and do my knitting whilst playing!  I even find the people in the chat rooms much friendlier and there is such a good atmosphere when I play online.”

This is another sad day for bingo halls in the UK, but this is not the end of bingo!  iluvbingo.co.uk offers access to a whole host of top online bingo sites in its online bingo directory.  Take a moment to explore the sites on offer and you will be amazed at the opportunities available to you from the comfort of your own home!
Good luck and keep playing!

Article was written by Crystal Page at iluvbingo.co.uk

This article may be reproduced in full or in part providing that credit is given to Crystal Page at iluvbingo.co.uk