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The Judges Bingo hall in a town called Tonypandy in Wales was originally named 'The Judge Williams Memorial Hall' when it was first built back in 1909, will be celebrating its 100th year in July 2009 and they are already busy behind the scenes to make sure this milestone goes off with a big bingo bang! The building was officially opened by Princess Louise and The Duke of Argyll and it was a gift to the residents of the area by Lieutenant Colonel Sir Rhys Williams.
The judges hall as it is commonly known now was built at a cost of just £6,000 back in 1909 and it was more recently turned into a bingo venue for the local community, which is run by manager Phil McCarthy.
The Hall’s deputy manager Adam Rowlands, said: “We have staff here that have been in bingo for more than 40 years. Philip McCarthy, Terry Hutchings, Philip May, Gwyneth Pothecary and I would like to make our 100th birthday a special occasion. I have been doing some research and have found some information about the Hall’s history but I would like to hear from anyone who has any documents or pictures which I could use during the centenary celebrations.”
The judges bingo hall was originally used as a concert hall that had a capacity of 1,500, plus a billiards room and a library were also housed in the building that served the local community. Bingo is now a regular event at the judges hall each week and it will be interesting to see what celebrations they are going to come up with to mark their 100th birthday for their bingo players.
When Princess Louise opened the judge Williams memorial hall back in 1909 she was presented with a golden key and a silver casket, which contained a loyal address of welcome to mark this grand occasion. It is good to still see this building that was meant to serve the local community still being put to good use today as a bingo hall, as the game of bingo has long brought communities together and it is one of the most social forms of gaming in the world to partake in.
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