Yvette Price Mear, founder of the Pet Bereavement Support Group (registered charity no 1104002) carried out an 20 hour charity sponsored ‘Bingo-a-Thon’ as her National Pet Month event on 27 April. She writes:

“At one o’clock this morning I finished my Charity Sponsored ‘Bingo-a-Thon’. It took me twenty hours and I played TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY ONE games in a row – and I didn’t win a single penny - nowt, zero, nada, zilch, nothing, nil. You wouldn’t think it was possible, would you?

Although I didn’t actually win anything from the Bingo itself (as it was a Sponsored Event too) I anticipate receiving a couple of hundred pounds of sponsorship so it was successful as a fund-raising event – just not as successful as it might have been, had I have won!

It was an absolutely fascinating thing to do and I don’t begrudge a single minute of it. I started at five o’clock in the morning and I was amazed to discover (at that ungodly hour) that there were already eighty-two people playing Bingo!
As I was playing I was telling fellow players (or ‘Roomies’ as they are known) all about my endeavours, the support and encouragement I got from them was simply incredible. People were wishing me luck and kept signing on throughout the day just to come onto the Site to say “How’s Smiley (my Username) doing?”

As they were enquiring about my progress – or lack of it! - they imparted information about themselves which made it enthralling as I could just imagine their lives too. The Landlady from East Sussex who kept leaving the Pub, the Security Guard from Leicester who popped in between his security checks, the Owner of the Kilt Shop in Dundee who logged in during her lunch hour, the recently bereaved widow who stayed with me until an hour before she took her Driving Test, all these immensely kind people made those twenty hours just fly by.

I got down to one number (a sweat) on numerous occasions and if ‘my number had come up’ I’d have won well over £2,000. But, like the lottery on a Saturday night, I NEARLY won!

I did research prior to the event and checked out all the Bingo Sites but found the Sun Site to be far superior to any of the others. The ‘Chat Rooms’ were flourishing with very friendly people, the Chat Room Moderators did a super job keeping the ‘Roomies’ entertained and the prize money was much better then on anyone of the other Sites. So that was where our stake money went – and stayed!

I actually felt very sorry for the Sun Bingo Site because they were in a ‘no win’ situation. If I’d have won I’m sure the Roomies would have said that it was fixed – when I didn’t win they said “It was for Charity – they should have fixed it”! Bless them, the Sun Site have said that they’ll make me a donation anyway so that will be added to my sponsorship.

The most abiding memory I will have of the whole event will be of another world that I accidentally stumbled upon. As ‘Roomies’ were chatting electronically a lot of very personal information was imparted and many a tragic tale of immense loss shared. As a Bereavement Counsellor it was just wonderful to witness that such an informal network does a simply amazing job of mutual support. It was both touching and heart-warming to share their stories and I feel privileged to have spent a full day of my life being part of a world that I probably wouldn’t ever have seen if I hadn’t have tried to think of something different to raise funds.

As a fund-raising event I wouldn’t recommend it but as a life experience I certainly would!”

Yvonne has put a most welcome cheque in the post for National Pet Month - and if you would like to find out more about her charity, see www.yvettesbook.com.