Kelly Horton from Mecca Bingo’s Brierley Hill club has been crowned Mecca Bingo’s ‘Caller of the Year’ after wowing an expert judging panel with her on-point calling and line dancing skills.
Winner Kelly, 46, has been a caller at Mecca’s club on Brierley Hill High Street for 17 years. Mecca’s national final, held at Mecca Bingo Wednesbury, marked the end of the bingo brand’s search for its top caller. Six seasoned callers from Mecca clubs across the UK went head-to-head, having battled their way through a series of regional heats.
Callers were assessed on personality and stage presence, bingo calling skills, audience engagement, and additional talents. Kelly initially impressed the judges in the heats with her enthusiasm, rapport with customers, and interactive line-dancing skills. In the final, she called a perfect game of bingo before getting the crowd up and dancing to a remix of the R&B classic Stand By Me.
Line Dancing Skills Wow Judges
On winning Mecca’s Bingo Caller of the Year, Kelly Horton said:
“I can’t believe I’m Mecca’s Caller of the Year! The atmosphere at the final was fantastic. The other callers were amazing and everyone was so supportive. Whoever won, everyone would have been delighted for them.
“I started doing line dancing for fun and a bit of exercise. It’s really accessible – anyone who can walk four steps can learn how to line dance. I was nervous at the final but when I started playing the music, the audience jumped up and joined in straight away!”
Kelly explained how she started using line dancing to unite people. She said:
“Bingo calling is great fun and a huge part of my life. In my spare time I also volunteer at the Wollescote Community Centre, and it was there that I realised I could use my line dancing to get everyone moving. Everyone at the centre is really proud that it’s won me the Mecca title.”
Kelly will now represent Mecca Bingo at the grand final of the National Bingo Game Caller of the Year competition in Wakefield this November. In front of a panel of judges and fans, Kelly will compete with representatives from other bingo brands, independents, and holiday parks for the ultimate accolade of being named industry champion.
Follow in the Footsteps of Benj Maycock
The delighted Kerry hopes she will follow in the footsteps of reigning title holder and fellow West Midlander, rapping caller Benj Maycock from the Mecca Bingo Wednesbury venue
Kelly added:
“Having competed at Wednesbury against some of the best of the best it’s a real honour to be heading to Wakefield to represent Mecca in the industry’s National Bingo Game Caller of the Year competition. I hope I’ve done Brierley Hill proud and can’t wait to celebrate with our customers,”
Andy Crump, managing director of Mecca Bingo, said of the competition:
“Our bingo callers have a hugely important role to play in delivering brilliant entertainment experiences for our customers. They create the atmosphere for every game, make sure that every customer is engaged, announce all our lucky winners and most definitely help to create exciting memories for all our players. In addition to clear voices and top calling skills, the judging panel was looking for big personality and talent for our Bingo Caller of the Year. We found that in Kelly and we’ll be backing her all the way when she represents Mecca at the National Bingo Game Caller of the Year competition in November.”
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