Wokingham Bingo Putting On The Ritz

Bingo halls have a large part to play in people’s lives and it is easy to see why these halls have become part of the history and culture for communities. Bingo halls have given lots of joy and happiness to players over the years, not to mention a good deal of money to the lucky winners. If you have managed to spend a great deal of time in local bingo halls, you will know about the friendships that been built, developed and even forged in these bingo halls so it is easy to see why so many people are clamouring for bingo halls to remain open.

A familiar bingo name is always good

In Wokingham, there was a bit of consternation when word got around that the Gala Bingo hall was coming up to the end of its lease. Gala has a number of bingo halls up and down the country but it is looking for ways to cut back in some areas and to consolidate in others, which obviously meant that there was a lot of concern about the future of the hall that can be found inEasthampstead Road. The bad news is that Gala Bingo will not be continuing with their lease but there is good news to be found in the fact that this is not the end of bingo in Wokingham, in fact, it is a continuation of a Wokingham bingo story than many people are very familiar with.

This hall was first opened in 1975 and was known as the Ritz Bingo hall for many years. This was due to the ownership of Wokingham Ritz and it is this company that will be taking over the hall once again. It is great news that the hall will remain open to provide bingo to the local community but it is also good news for the fact that there will be 20 jobs saved which may have otherwise been lost if the hall closed down! There is a great deal of excitement about the return of the Ritz to Wokingham and some familiar faces have been coming out to show their support for the new (yet old) club.

One familiar face is Robin Keston, who used to be the manager in the club from 1980 until Gala bought the chain out. In an interview with a local newspaper, Mr Keston said; “We believe Wokingham can support a viable bingo hall and think it’s a valuable part of the local community. I loved my time at Wokingham and just knew we would mount some sort of bid to save the Ritz from being boarded up.”