Independent Bingo Club Closures

by Hollie Sanders

The BBC recently ran a story about UK bingo club closures, and this one really caught my eye, the reason being that as a child I spent many hours at the Empire cinema in Holyhead Anglesey. In more recent years the bottom floor of the Empire Cinema had been used as a bingo club an this has now closed down.

Following on the closure of the bingo club the Cinema has also had to close down, this is because of the knock on effect from the closure of the bingo club, as to some extent the bingo club was supporting the Cinema and these small independent Cinema’s are very difficult to run.

Firstly it saddens me that the bingo club has closed, Holyhead is a very small town and the people who frequented the bingo club are probably missing that socialization aspect, and secondly, having spent very many happy years with my friends in Holyhead watching golden oldies at the Empire, even though I no longer live there, I feel the loss of the cinema quite deeply. I had some very pleasant memories, particularly the hot dogs and ice cream treats we were allowed to indulge in when attending this long standing bastion of entertainment. Farewell Empire, I shall miss you, and I am sure that I am not the only one!