Ann Copley worked at the Mecca Bingo Club in North Street for 44 years and during that time she did a wide range of jobs, from selling books to working in the catering department. However, she had never worked as a bingo caller until her last day at the club when her employers decided to organize a special bingo game to honor her.

Ann commented that she felt nervous but very happy while calling the numbers for the first time. “I was very nervous and the microphone was a bit shaky as a result but it was great fun,” she said. “It's quite scary, though, standing up there in front of all those people but I did really enjoy it. I called the numbers the old-fashioned way and used old bingo phrases like 88, two fat ladies, and legs 11, which had people laughing.”

The 62-year-old grandmother of three started working at the bingo hall when she was 18, as an ice-cream seller. She has seen a lot of changes in all these years, but one of the things that have impressed her most is the drop in the number of players.

"We used to be so busy when I first started that we had to shut the doors and people would be left outside," Ann commented. "Because the hall was always so busy it justified a department solely for ice-cream. Now bingo halls don't get half the amount of people they used to.”

The special bingo game organized to celebrate Ann’s retirement was held to benefit the charity Whizz-Kidz, which supports disabled children.

Source: Article originally published in MediaGambling