Henry Dunkley, a thirteen year old from Northampton, has received a new, state-of-the-art, powered wheelchair to help boost his mobility, thanks to the joint fundraising efforts of customers and staff at Beacon Bingo on Weedon Road, Northampton.

Henry, who lives with his parents, and his eleven year old twin brothers Archie and Bertie, suffers from global development delay and severe learning difficulties, which means he needs help with every aspect of daily life.

He currently has a manual wheelchair and is not eligible for a powered chair from Wheelchair Services as he is not considered able to operate it himself. However, as he grows older his family is having increasing difficulty in taking him around.

Beacon Bingo, along with sister company Cashino Adult Gaming Centres, is one of the main fundraisers for CHIPS, a charity set up on behalf of the casino and gaming industry, which aims to provide specialised powered wheelchairs for children with severe mobility problems.

The new state-of-the-art, powered chair, which has been specifically designed to meet Henry’s needs by including a tilt feature to alleviate pressure on his back and hips, was presented to him at Beacon Bingo on Weedon Road in Northampton yesterday (Tuesday 27th January) and will help make his life easier and more comfortable.

Henry’s mother, Suzanne, said: “This powered wheelchair will make such a difference to all of the family as it means that we can go for days out so much more easily. We are extremely grateful to everyone at Beacon Bingo and CHIPS Charity for making this happen.”

Rob Black, Beacon Bingo Northampton general manager, added: “Henry is a deserving young boy and we hope this chair will make his everyday life much more comfortable and will hopefully allow him to engage in more activities with his family and friends, like every teenager should be allowed to do. Every time we do these presentations it really shows that all of our fundraising efforts throughout our estate are 100% worth it.”

Co-founder of the CHIPS charity Linda Lindsay said: “It is so important for CHIPS that our donors see the results of their hard work and we try to ensure that all the recipients are local to where the funds have been raised. Beacon Bingo and Cashino have been amazing and have donated £110,000 in the last 12 months, allowing CHIPS to provide 17 powered wheelchairs up and down the country.”

To date CHIPS has raised over £1,000,000 and presented over 400 wheelchairs to children throughout the UK.

Beacon Cricklewood was invited by Barnet Council to the opening of the new playground in Kara Way, and helped out with refreshments and raffle prizes! The new park was opened by the Mayor and Mayoress of Barnet.

What a night to remember! Successfully setting the record by becoming the first club in history to give away £100,000 in a single game of bingo, the night was celebrated with other customers also winning other big cash prizes of £10,000 and £1,000 - over £160,000 was given away!

To see more photos of the event, please click here.

Ella Kalis, a six year old youngster from Borrowash, has received a new customised, state-of-the-art powered wheelchair to help boost her mobility thanks to the customers and staff at the Ritz Beacon Bingo centre in Ilkeston.

Ella, who attends Ashbrook Infants in Borrowash, has cerebral palsy, a condition that has not only left her unable to walk, but unable to use a manual wheelchair due to a weakness in one of her hands.

The new specially customised electric wheelchair, which has been designed to accommodate Ella’s very special seating requirements, was presented to her at Ritz Bingo on South Street, Ilkeston last week [Friday 17th October] and will allow her to engage effectively in activities with her family and friends, giving her the independence that every young girl needs.

Beacon Bingo, which operates nine bingo centres across the country, is one of the main fundraisers for CHIPS, a charity founded on behalf of the casino and gaming industry to provide specialised powered wheelchairs for young people with severe mobility problems.

Commenting on the day, Ella’s mother Lucy said: “The power chair is going to make a world of difference to Ella and it will give her so much independence. We cannot thank Cashino and the CHIPS charity enough.”

Beacon Bingo area manager, Wanda Kidd, added: “It’s been a great experience to see how much joy this wheelchair has brought to Ella and her family – the chair will be a great help to her and will give her the independence that she needs. Seeing such positive results from our fundraising efforts proves that it is certainly worth it, and we hope that the chair will stand Ella in good stead for many years to come.”

Co-founder of the CHIPS charity Linda Lindsay said: “It is so important for CHIPS that our donors see the results of their hard work and we try to ensure that all the recipients are local to where the funds have been raised. Beacon Bingo has been amazing and, alongside its sister company Cashino, has helped donated £110,000 to the charity in the last 12 months, allowing CHIPS to provide 17 powered wheelchairs up and down the country.”

A nine year old disabled girl from Denton in Manchester has been given a custom-made, state–of- the-art, powered wheelchair to help boost her mobility, thanks to fundraising by staff at the head office of Praesepe in Milton Keynes. Lucy Williams has cerebral palsy, a condition which has affected all four of her limbs, leaving her unable to stand or walk independently and always needing the support of an adult. Although she currently has a powered wheelchair it is restrictive as it does not allow her outdoor movement on difficult terrain, leaving Lucy unable to have the independence every young girl should have.

The new specially customised electric wheelchair, which has been designed to accommodate Lucy’s very special seating requirements, was presented to her at Praesepe head office on Seebeck Place, Milton Keynes, yesterday (Monday 1 September) and will allow her to engage effectively in activities with her family. Praesepe, which operates 155 Cashino adult gaming centres and 9 Beacon Bingo halls across the UK, is one of the main fundraisers for CHIPS, a charity set up on behalf of the casino and gaming industry which aims to provide specialised powered wheelchairs for children with severe mobility problems.

Lucie lives with her parents Kerry and Matt along with her two siblings Samuel and Briony. Commenting on the day, Lucie's mother Kerry said: "We are so grateful to everyone for Lucie's new chair, this will enable her to go out with her friends and have much more independence around school and in general life."

Nick Harding, Praesepe CEO, added: “It’s been a great experience to see how much joy this wheelchair has brought to Lucy and her family – the chair will be a great help to her and will give her the independence that she needs. Hopefully the chair will stand Lucy in good stead for many years to come. The fundraising effort from all of our staff and customers throughout our estate has been certainly well worth it.”

Co-founder of the CHIPS charity Linda Lindsay said: “It is so important for CHIPS that our donors see the results of their hard work. Praesepe have been exceptional in their fundraising efforts and have raised £100,000 in the last 12 months, which has helped CHIPS provide (how many) powered wheelchairs to children up and down the country, we can’t thank them enough.”

To date CHIPS has raised over £1,000,000 and presented over 400 wheelchairs to children up and down the country.

Margate played host to the wonderful Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers Experience act last sunday! Starring Sarah Jayne and Andy Crust, the fantastic act lit up Margate!

Staff at Beacon Bingo on The Esplanade, Redcar helped one of their most loyal customers celebrate a very special milestone this week [Monday 25th August], as Vera Laird welcomed in her 90th birthday with family and friends at the venue she has played a remarkable 140,000 games in.
 
A sprightly Vera, who has lived in Redcar for 43 years, has an impressive bingo career, playing four times a week for over 35 years, prompting venue assistant manager Dot Wood to throw a well-deserved party in her honour.
 
Commenting on the night, Vera said: “It has been a wonderful evening and I am over the moon to have had my family and friends at Beacon Bingo with me to help celebrate.
 
“Bingo has changed so much over the years but one thing has stayed the same and that is the lovely people that I meet here every day. I have made friends for life with both the staff and the other customers and I cannot thank everyone here enough for making this day so memorable.”
 
And in light of Vera’s birthday, Beacon Redcar also offered customers special prizes when the top of the shop number was called as well as giving people a chance to win free games worth £90.00.
 
“As soon as we knew it was Vera’s 90th birthday we didn’t hesitate to get something planned for her. It was a great night and I know Vera enjoyed every bit of it. She received flowers, cards, and a handmade cake from our customers, it really was a special night for a special lady,” added Dot.
 
“The nature of the bingo means that people are able to come along for the social aspect as well as the game, and that’s why our customers are such good friends. It is so important that we celebrate people like Vera and it was great to see everyone there to help us do it.”