2022
80’s Themed Black Tie Bingo event raises over £28k for charity
This was the third running of the glamourous take on Bingo – dubbed ‘Blingo’ by
its creator Matthew Pudney and despite the two year break it was clear that Peterborough still knows how to
enjoy itself!
Toyah Willcox headlined the fundraising evening and was supported by comedian Bobby Davro and X Factor
finalist Nicole Lawrence. There was a well-received surprise appearance from boxing legend Frank Bruno and
the event was hosted by PCRFM Breakfast show presenter Kev Lawrence and Matthew Pudney of Princebuild.
The event was held at the Holiday Inn Peterborough West on Friday 20th May and treated the 273 guests to an
evening packed full of top class entertainment. On arrival they were greeted with a glass of bubbles whilst
having the chance to meet Toyah Willcox and get a professional photograph with the 80’s icon.
The fund raising for the evening kicked off with the chance to have a professional photo with all of the
celebrities, this was very popular and some great photos came out of this providing great memories for the
successful bidders.
Throughout the night guests had the chance to win big cash prizes in one of six games of Blingo with the
top prize hitting £1250 for the final game! Each game was called by a celebrity guest which provided some
great entertainment in itself.
Nicole Lawrence put on fantastic set during dinner service, really getting the crowd in the party mood and
she was followed by an interactive performance of It’s a Mystery by Toyah Willcox. Bobby Davro entertained
with a side splitting cabaret set including plenty of jokes and some singing that got the audience up on
their feet.
Formalities and a reminder of the great work provided by the charities being supported was provided by
Chris Collier MBE and local young performer Courtney Kay.
There were also chances to win a selection of top prizes in the raffle and a live auction which was called
by Bobby Davro and attracted some generous bidding.
The event, which is part of Princebuild’s mission to raise £50k for charity in its 50th Anniversary year,
was well supported by many prominent Peterborough businesses both on the night and in the provision of
prizes and sponsorship, with Marsh Commercial being headline sponsor.
Matthew Pudney, one of the event organisers from Princebuild said “The night far exceeded our expectations,
the celebrities were fantastic and the audience really got into the spirit of the evening.
“The cost of hosting the event has risen considerably so to hit the £28k mark for our two charities,
Macmillan Cancer Support and The NSPCC really is amazing. I really would like to thank everyone who
supported the event, either by attending on the evening or in the way of sponsorship of the event for
helping us to make the event such a success.”
2019
Knock-out night raises over £25,000 for Peterborough charities.
For the second year running guests were welcomed to enjoy a night of Bingo with a
difference.
The glamorous black tie event held at the Holiday Inn West featured star guest boxing legend Frank Bruno
MBE. He was joined by other celebrity guests; stage and screen star Warwick Davis, Director of Football at
the Posh Barry Fry and Shaun Williamson of EastEnders fame. The night was hosted by BBC Cambridge radio host
Kev Lawrence alongside Princebuild’s Matthew Pudney.
The event was also attended by The Mayor of Peterborough, Councillor Gul Nawaz, who got into the spirit of
the evening and seemed to thoroughly enjoy the event.
Almost 270 guests were treated to a night full of entertainment, on arrival they were greeted with a glass
of bubbles whilst having the chance to meet Frank Bruno and get a professional photograph with the boxing
legend.
Throughout the night guests had the chance to win big cash prizes in one of six games of Blingo with the
top prize hitting £1250 for the final game! Each game was called by a celebrity guest which provided some
great entertainment in itself.
There was a special guest appearance by 12 year old Courtney Kay who wowed the crowd with a live
performance of Sam Smith’s James Bond theme Writing’s On The Wall. Shaun Williamson also sang for the guests
– getting everyone in the party mood with a rendition of Sweet Caroline later in the evening.
There were also chances to win a selection of top prizes in the raffle and a live auction was held which
included signed boxing gloves and replica belt which attracted some generous bidding.
The event, now in its second year, is a joint venture between Princebuild Ltd and The NSPCC Peterborough
Business Support Group, it was well supported by many prominent Peterborough businesses both on the night
and in the provision of prizes and sponsorship.
Matthew Pudney, one of the event organisers from Princebuild said “After the success of last year’s event
we wondered if we could improve upon that, but from feedback we have had since the event and judging by the
fantastic amount raised I think we may have achieved that.
“The celebrities were fantastic and the atmosphere in the room on the night was amazing, everyone really
seemed to be enjoying the event. Not everyone could be lucky enough to take home a prize but I think
everyone has come away from the night a winner including our very worthy charities.
“On behalf of the Blingo committee I would like to thank everyone who supported the evening and we hope to
be able to put another event on in the near future.”
More information about the event and future events can be found on the Blingo social media channels Facebook and twitter.
2018
‘Blingo’, Peterborough’s all-new Glamour Bingo Charity Ball, made
its debut at the Holiday Inn West Hotel on Friday 28thSeptember, raising more than 20k for
charity!
The event, which was attended by 260 guests, mainly from the Peterborough Business
community, was supported by celebrity guests including:
- Heart Radio’s breakfast presenter Kev Lawrence,
- Director of Football for the Posh, Barry Fry,
- Singer songwriter and former runner-up of The Voice, Leah McFall and
- Actor and Presenter Warwick Davis!
The event commenced with a red carpet entrance leading to a VIP Meet and Greet area for a select few who
had upgraded their tickets, enabling them to mingle with the celebrities and have a professional photograph
taken with Warwick Davis.
The main event room was glamorously decorated in black and silver with a central dance floor, raised podium
and five large display screens providing entertaining introduction videos for the celebrities and visuals
for the games of bingo.
The celebrities made grand entrances one by one to a welcoming audience. Barry Fry didn’t disappoint,
providing a big entrance, much to the crowds delight, and Warwick Davis arrived speeding on to the
dancefloor on a Segway!
Three games of big cash prize bingo were played during the evening with each one being called by a
different
celebrity. Kev Lawrence played host for the remainder of the evening after calling the first game, briefly
interviewing each of the celebrities and allowing the audience to ask them questions before calling their
games. The last game was called by Warwick Davis and the prize fund for the full house was a whopping
£1,000!
After dinner entertainment was provided by singer songwriter Leah McFall, who performed three songs
including her latest release ‘Somber’ and her finalist song from The Voice ‘Loving You’.
Other entertainment during the evening included a close-up magician, prize draw raffle and a
live auction with some fantastic prizes on offer. The evening closed with a disco through to the early
hours.
The event was organised by Princebuild Limited and the NSPCC Peterborough Business Support Group and raised
funds for NSPCC, Macmillan Cancer Support and LPUK. More than 20k was raised for the charities!
Matthew Pudney, one of the event organisers from Princebuild said “The event could not have gone better,
our idea was always to raise a good amount for charity but to also create an exciting atmosphere by sending
some of our guests home with big cash prizes and we achieved just that. He went on to say “Tables for the
event sold within days of going on sale and the celebrities who joined us on the night brought a wonderful
mix of star quality to the room.”
Plans are already underway for a repeat event in 2022. For more details or to register your interest to
attend the event next year contact tickets@blingo.org.uk
