Buzz Bingo has done it. The team, the customers, and the communities have pulled together and hit a whopping £200,000 target for the Stroke Association. It didn’t happen overnight. It took graft, passion, and a fair bit of bingo along the way. But they’ve shown what happens when people rally around a good cause.
Not Just a Number
That £200,000 isn’t just a number on a big novelty cheque. It means lifelines. It means stroke survivors across the UK get access to support that’s been out of reach for too long. It means more calls answered, more homes visited, more lives turned around.
When the partnership kicked off back in late 2022, both Buzz Bingo and the Stroke Association had clear goals. They weren’t just looking to raise money. They wanted to raise voices. Stroke can strike anyone. It doesn’t ask your age or your postcode. Recovery isn’t just about hospitals and medicine either. It’s about the weeks, months, and years afterwards. That’s where the Stroke Association steps in—and that’s where Buzz Bingo decided to back them.
What Made It Work?
Buzz Bingo didn’t just pass the donation bucket around. The effort came from the ground up. Staff in clubs got stuck in. Regulars brought their mates. Teams across the country pulled off themed nights, raffles, bake sales, quizzes—you name it. There were charity bingo sessions where you could play a few extra games knowing your stake was going to a good place. There were donation points at tills and tills ringing with support.
It wasn’t flashy. It wasn’t corporate. It was real people doing their bit. That’s what kept the momentum going.
Every now and then, you’d get a big push—like the special “Loaded” bingo night with Chris and Toby Tarrant. That pulled a crowd and raised awareness. But most of the total came from everyday efforts. Staff selling wristbands. Punters popping spare change into donation pots. Clubs putting on extra events. The heart of it was community.
Why the Stroke Association?
Plenty of charities do good work. So why this one?
Because stroke recovery can be lonely. One day you’re living your life, the next you can’t speak, or move like you used to. That isolation hits hard. For a lot of stroke survivors, it’s not the physical stuff that’s the worst—it’s feeling like life just carried on without you. That’s where the Stroke Association steps in. And that’s why Buzz Bingo got involved.
Buzz Bingo knows a thing or two about bringing people together. So the match made sense. The aim was simple—get stroke survivors back into social spaces. Build confidence again. Help them reconnect.
Faces Behind the Figures
You can throw numbers around all day, but it’s the stories that hit home.
Like Pam, 67, from Derby. She had her stroke in 2021. Lost her speech for months. Couldn’t leave the house. “I felt like I was locked in,” she said. “I couldn’t get my words out. Couldn’t face people. Then my daughter said, ‘Come to bingo.’ I thought she was mad. But I went.”
Pam says it was scary at first. But slowly, with the Stroke Association checking in and the local club giving her a place to be herself again, things changed. “I started laughing again,” she said. “Even if I didn’t win, I got out. That meant everything.”
Or take Tony, 54, from Liverpool. Used to work on building sites. After his stroke, he couldn’t walk without help. Found it hard to see mates. Through the Stroke Association, he got help getting to and from the local club once a week. “That bingo hall gave me a reason to get dressed,” he joked. “Even if my legs weren’t playing ball, I wasn’t giving up my Thursday night.”
Stories like these show what’s at stake.
The People Who Made It Happen
The staff at Buzz Bingo deserve more than a round of applause. They kept this going day in, day out. From managers organising fundraising nights to bartenders setting out collection tins, everyone chipped in.
Karen, who runs the Wigan branch, said it best: “We didn’t do it for the headlines. We did it for our locals. So many of them have been through something like this—or know someone who has.”
She added, “And let’s be honest, it gave us a buzz too. Doing something that makes a difference? That sticks with you.”
Players got involved without needing a sales pitch. Once they heard what it was for, they were all in. Some brought in homemade cakes to sell. Others donated bingo winnings straight into the Stroke Association pot. It wasn’t about grand gestures. It was about small ones, over and over again.
What the Stroke Association Says
Juliet Bouverie, Chief Executive of the Stroke Association, was full of praise.
“When we started working with Buzz Bingo, we knew we’d found something special. Their clubs are already places where people feel at home. Bringing our work into that space just made sense. We’ve been blown away by the kindness, the effort, and the spirit of the Buzz Bingo community.”
She pointed out that the money raised would go directly into services that keep stroke survivors connected to life beyond the hospital ward. That includes recovery support groups, one-on-one advice, and help with speech or mobility challenges.
What Happens Now?
Just because the £200,000 target has been hit doesn’t mean it’s all over. The need’s still there. The Stroke Association’s work doesn’t stop—and neither does Buzz Bingo’s support.
There’s talk of more events, more ways to raise awareness, and more chances for players to get involved. No one’s hanging up the fundraising hat just yet.
Some clubs are even looking at ways to make access easier for stroke survivors. That might mean better parking, transport options, or even special sessions with quieter rooms and more support on hand.
A Message to the Community
If you’ve ever popped a coin in one of those buckets, bought a charity game book, or told your mates to turn up for a fundraiser—this is your win too. You helped reach that target. You helped change lives.
It’s easy to feel like small acts don’t matter. But put enough of them together and you get £200,000. You get people like Pam and Tony walking back into the world again. You get support calls answered. You get strokes survivors finding their voice again.
Final Word
The Buzz Bingo and Stroke Association partnership shows what’s possible when people pull together. It didn’t need glitz. It needed heart—and that’s what it got.
If you want to get involved, check out the Stroke Association’s website. There’s always something you can do. And if you’re near a Buzz Bingo club, keep an eye out for what’s coming next.
Because while the target’s been hit, the real work keeps going.