Bingo Win with us!
Gill Thompson, 58, from Birmingham celebrated her 40th anniversary in style
‘I’ve booked a holiday to greece’
My bare foot landed on the hard edges of a child’s toy and I let out a small yelp. ‘Sometimes it’s like the kids never left home,’ I laughed to my husband, Pete, 60, as I sat down on the sofa and rubbed my foot.
All three of our children, now in their 30s, had long since moved out.
Only, since I retired from my job as a personal assistant, I often found myself doing the school run for their kids and helping out wherever I could. And with six grandchildren, I found that I was always on the go.
The once very familiar cry of ‘Mummy’ had now been replaced with ‘Nanny’. Of course, Pete and I didn’t mind. In fact, we really loved having the house alive with children again.
They certainly kept us busy, amusing us with all their funny stories from school or making us play the latest computer games with them.
Now though, one night in July 2018, it was the end of another full day and I was more than happy to settle down on the sofa in front of the TV. Opening my laptop, I bought tickets for a Link Game of Sapphire Bingo on Woman Bingo.
‘I still need to find an outfit to wear for the party,’ I told Pete as he sat beside me. It was our 40th wedding anniversary in two weeks and we’d planned a big party for 300 guests – many of whom had been there at our wedding back in July 1978.
We’d even hired out the same venue – a lovely hotel nearby in Birmingham. It would definitely be a trip down memory lane, with so many old friends and family, and having the grandkids there as well would be amazing.
Now, watching the numbers appear on the screen, my mind wandered to what I’d wear for the party. We’d always planned to do something special for our 40th anniversary. I’d had a few big wins on the bingo over the years, so as well as presents for the grandkids and a holiday in Cornwall, we’d used the money to pay for the venue and the catering, too.
Multiple wins
Since signing up to Woman Bingo in January 2012, I’d won a staggering £6,000 in Full Houses. In April 2015, I won £1,000 on Play off Palace. Then, just a few weeks later, I won £2,000 on a 90-ball bingo game. I couldn’t believe it when I hit the jackpot a third time and won another £2,000 on 90-ball bingo in July 2015. And then, in 2017, I won £1,000 in Play off Palace again – my fourth big win!
In the past year, I’d also had a few smaller wins on one line and two lines. It’s always a lovely surprise to win when you’re having such great fun playing. Woman Bingo is by far the friendliest site to play on and the members in the chat rooms are always happy to celebrate one’s win together.
That night in July, I noticed that I only had one number left. I turned to Pete, who was staring intently at the TV. He’d laughingly told me not to say anything unless I’d definitely won, as I tend to get a little overexcited and I’d even made him jump one afternoon after almost winning the jackpot.
So I kept quiet and watched the computer screen. Then, suddenly, the screen was flashing. ‘I’ve won £1,500!’ I squealed, jumping up from the sofa.
Pete’s eyes widened. ‘What? Again?’ he spluttered, looking shocked. ‘Looks like it,’ I grinned. It was exactly a year to the date that I had won the £1,000 Full House in Play off Palace.
That night, both shocked and in disbelief, Pete and I sat down and talked about what we might like to spend our latest winnings on. ‘How about a nice holiday after the party?’ suggested Pete. So we had a look online and decided on a trip to Kos, in Greece, for May 2019. ‘Something else to look forward to,’ I smiled.
A few weeks later, our party was heaving with hundreds of our friends and family who’d turned up at the hotel for dancing and food. It was great to see everyone and Pete and I had a wonderful time, toasting to the last 40 years.
I still love playing bingo, win or no win, and with an amazing holiday coming up this year, I definitely want to say a big thank you to Woman Bingo!