Sunday Night Bingo Proves To Be A Hit At Burgess Hill Town Football Club

Fans of Bingo now have a chance to play the game on the first Sunday of every month at Burgess Hill Town Football Club after two local residents decided to start running the evenings at the clubhouse.

Your BHU reporter went along to August’s event to meet organisers Karen Taylor and Lyn Howes to find out more and to experience the game in the flesh.



So why did they start up a bingo night at BHTFC?

“I like bingo and I went to a bingo event at Cyprus Hall and I also love the football club, I’ve been coming here since I was 16/17 and played for the pool teams, things like that. I thought that if we could do something to help the football club, something for the community - because what is there really to do on a Sunday evening? - and to raise money for charity, then let’s go for it!" said Karen Taylor.

“As hosts, the football club have been very welcoming and we’re very pleased to be working with them”


Just some of the players from Sunday evening. Such is the popularity that both the main bar and the function room were used to seat everyone!

Lyn ‘Dizzy’ Howes is pleased with how things are going so far.
“I think it’s going really really well and I think it’ll build and certainly given that it’s the summer and lots of people are away, we look forward to it becoming a bigger event towards the Autumn.”

Charity Raffle
Money for local charities is raised through holding a raffle during the evening -  the size of which I don’t think I’ve ever seen before!



“For the raffle, we decided to choose lots of different local charities, Lyn chose Rommie Rescue (Romanian dog rescue run in Mid Sussex) and the raffle we did last month was for PAPYRUS (Prevention of young suicide) and next month we’ll be choosing a cancer charity, but we’re not sure what one yet” said Karen.



The money raised for PAPYRUS was in memory of Elido Vargas who passed away earlier in the Summer.  £250 was raised from the raffle with local business Drivepoint Construction adding another £200. Karen’s clients then put in another £50 to bring the total to £500 before the Burgess Hill District Lions matched the total which saw an amazing £1,000 donated to the charity.

The duo hope to hold a meat raffle nearer to Christmas and are always looking for raffle prizes to be donated to help with their charitable efforts.

Format Of The Evening
The Bingo action starts at 7:30pm with doors open from 7pm.  It gives you half an hour to buy your books and raffle tickets.  The bingo books are £8 for six (£4 for 3) and includes 10 games and the big cash ‘flyer’. Raffle tickets are £1 per strip.



Cash prizes are awarded for a single line and the full house.  In the first half of the session (first 5 games)  the prize was £4 for a line and £8 for a full house.  Then came the interval where it was a chance to get another drink while the raffle was being drawn.

The second half saw the prize money double with £8 for a line and £16 for a full house.  The finale was the ‘flyer’ which paid out £25 for the line and £75 for the full house.  The game was complete by 10pm with time to have another drink before heading home.


Mr BHU wins the second biggest prize of the night with a line on the 'flyer'

The evening was great fun with a lovely atmosphere and plenty of new faces to chat to.

I can’t recommend it enough!!!

The next Bingo evening is taking place on Sunday 2nd September and every first Sunday of the month after that.

Got an opinion on this story? Leave a comment below.....
Have you been to the BHTFC Bingo night yet? What did you think of it? If not, will you consider going?