Number set to be up for popular bingo club
HUNDREDS of bingo players in Bournemouth will be left without a local club in less than a fortnight.
Just a week after Gala Coral admitted it was reviewing the future of its Winton bingo club, staff have been told it will close on February 10.
The club in Wimborne Road has a very local customer base and many residents will be unable to travel to alternative Gala clubs at the Lansdowne or Tower Park.
A spokesperson for Gala Coral was unable to confirm how many staff were employed at the club but said negotiations with workers were currently underway.
"We are probably going to transfer our staff to other positions in the group but that is all under consultation at the moment," she said. "I do not know what is happening to the building but the club will be closed."
Rumours that the closure was imminent prompted council officers to try and get the historic Art Deco building listed.
There is nothing to stop Gala Coral selling the site to a developer but the council hopes they can be convinced to consider alternative uses for the building.
Moordown ward councillor Beverley Dunlop said: "We will be sending the relevant materials to English Heritage to seek their opinion and over the coming weeks will be in discussion with Gala Coral on future uses of the building."
The building used to be the home of the 1,500-capacity Moderne cinema, which featured striking and innovative interior design when it opened to the public in 1936.
Written by Melanie Vass
