Bingo!
Background
Our Place community bingo was set up by local residents who felt bingo would be a great way to get local people out the house, meet friends and have fun. They decided they would like to hold a Christmas bingo with prizes so that local families had a dignified way to acquire Christmas presents for their loved ones that they may otherwise not be able to afford. The prizes came from local businesses in Hackney who the residents wrote letters to, asking them to support the bingo. Southern Housing Group also kindly donated a bingo machine, books and dabbers.
Local shops donated toiletries, vouchers, toys, clothes, and household gifts. They showed great community spirit in doing so and people were very touched by their contributions. These included:
- Toybox
- Sublime
- Little Gems
- Clockwork Pharmacy
- the Fish House
- Gail’s Bakery
- E.G
- Sonigra pharmacy on Well Street
A local bingo caller came to volunteer to make it feel authentic. Most people were able to win a prize and luckily we ended up with so many donations that there were prizes left over!
Outcome
Resident N with his voucher for fish and chips and a house bottle of wine for 2 from the Fish House, Victoria Park Rd
Local resident AL, who came up with the idea, and who approached all the local shops, developed a lot through this project. The first time she visited the shops, together with our staff, she was shy and felt awkward speaking to the shop managers. By the end she felt confident enough to do it alone. This is the first project A had led on her own. As she was unable to read, she worked very hard to be able to read each envelope addressed to local shops and deliver them to the right address.
Inspired by the Bingo story? Want to register to volunteer? Let us know at ourplace@vchackney.org or call on 07305760406