Shipleys rolled out the red carpet for the opening of its new bingo lounge in Swindon on 30 November, with William and Kate lookalikes visiting the official launch party to give the premises a royal seal of approval.
The state-of-the-art facility, part of a major expansion of the company’s existing slots venue on the corner of Queen Street and Bridge Street, also welcomed local residents and customers to experience the latest in bingo technology.
“It’s a place people can come and chat and socialise and put the social back into bingo,” said area manager Gareth Lewis. “We have lunch, snacks and refreshments and it’s somewhere warm that people can come everyday and not have to fork out tonnes on electricity. We’re putting something back into the town.”
“It’s affordable, they can spend a tenner and win prize money, everything is with the customers in mind. When it is no longer fun we have a policy to look after customers. There is no alcohol allowed on site at all and we do not serve alcohol. We focus on putting the customer experience first.”
The unit had previously remained vacant for more than two years before Shipleys applied to convert it, with Swindon Borough Council planners welcoming the renovation of an otherwise unused part of the high street.