'Even though I don't win, I just enjoy playing bingo. Without it, we're gonna be sat indoors day and night, and I don't think that's good for anybody,' she tells me. Like May, Marina Martin, 81, is also sad to say her farewells. 'She was on her way to bingo a week ago, but the cab driver didn't think she looked well, so he took her home, where her daughter was waiting for her, and she died.' She'd be sitting in the corner, with her long coat and her little purple handbag, smoking like a trooper.'Īt the ripe age of 80, Lena passed away.
'She used to say, 'What am I gonna do when this place goes?' She was really worried. 'We think our old friend Lena died of a broken heart when she found out this place was shutting,' May tells me. The club has long served as a lifeline to elderly locals who have few other sources of support.
Upstairs was closed for four years until tonight.'
'Normally you walk in and you can sit where you like. 'This is the first night this bingo hall has been full in a very long time,' says May, gesturing at the overflowing foyer behind her.
