Club 3000 Caller Crowned National Bingo Caller of the Year 2019

The National Bingo Caller of the Year awards came to a head recently when one lucky bingo caller was crowned the champion after fierce competition from around the UK. Every year the awards ceremony is held in recognition of talented bingo callers up and down the country and it’s an award that many want to win what with it coming with a £1000 cheque too.

Roughly 500 people attended the lavish event at the Buzz Bingo club in Birmingham and were treated to champagne and a meal whilst the ceremony got underway. A short time later, the crowds watched as the title of National Bingo Caller of the Year for 2019 went to Donna Kuyno from Club 3000.

It’s estimated that 200 entrants were nominated for the award and this was whittled down to just 6 finalists, but with all competitions, there can only be one winner and Donna fought off stiff competition to nab the award. The event was a huge success and the electric atmosphere throughout the day encouraged the finalists to put on their best performance yet…

…but they weren’t the only ones performing – Elvis was there too! Well, it was actually one of the finalists in costume, but it went down a storm. The five other hopeful winners included three professional quality singers and two natural crowd pleasers.

Hey Big Spender

Dame Shirley Bassey stole the show (sorry that should be Donna) when she took to the Buzz Bingo stage with a phenomenal rendition of “This is My Life.” Stage presence and showmanship were big factors in this year’s competition, but so too were criteria such as the knowledge of bingo games, presence, stage personality and skills as a caller.

The panel who had the tough decision of picking the winner was consisted of Miles Baron, CEO of The Bingo Association, Blake Robson, winner of Bingo Caller of the Year in 2007, Lyn Staunton, Variety representative, and the former Deputy Leader of the Labour Party - Tom Watson. The finalists this year were Jason Davies from Mecca Wrexham, Michael Farley from Beacon Cricklewood, Rhys Evans from Castle Merthyr Tydfil, Christopher Graham from Carlton Stirling, Donna Kunyo from Club 3000 Middleton and Bob Manwaring from Buzz Middlesbrough.

Speaking on her win, Donna said: “I’m so overwhelmed right now. I still can’t believe that I’ve won and I’m National Bingo Game Caller of the Year! This day has been incredible from start to finish. I want to thank everyone who came and supported me, and I can’t wait to celebrate with my club. The whole atmosphere today has been electric and it’s really what bingo is all about.”

CEO of The Bingo Association, Miles Baron comments: “We are delighted to run the National Bingo Game Caller of the Year competition again as it’s a great chance to recognise the talent, dedication, and the skill of Bingo Callers. This year’s finalists didn’t disappoint either, making it a tough decision to choose the winner but all judges were agreed that Donna deserved to be crowned the champion. From start to finish the atmosphere was amazing and really captured what bingo is all about, it brings people from all walks of life together to play the game and enjoy themselves.”