Popular Bristol bingo hall announces closure ‘with a heavy heart’

A Bristol bingo hall has announced that it will be closing ‘with a heavy heart’ at the end of the month. 

Buzz Bingo in Hengrove says it has made the ‘difficult’ and ‘sad’ decision to close its doors for good on January 28. 

The closure of the facility at Hengrove Leisure Park follows that of the neighbouring Cineworld building, which permanently shut at the end of November. 

In the long-term, there are plans to build 350 new homes over much of the leisure park.   

In a statement on Facebook, Buzz Bingo wrote: “It’s with a heavy heart we announce the closure of Buzz Bingo Bristol Hengrove on Sunday 28th January.

“We’re really sad to bring you this news as we know this will be a difficult time for our community and our colleagues.  

“We’d like to thank you for all your support - we’re going to miss you SO much but this isn’t the end for our amazing community.”  

The statement advises customers to instead to play at the alternative Buzz branches in Fishponds and Weston-super-Mare. 

In the comments section, one former worker has called the forthcoming closure ‘devastating’ news. 

“I spent 12 years at Hengrove, it was a job and a group of people who literally changed my life,” he wrote. 

“I'm very genuinely sad for those who will need to find new jobs and those who've made the club their safe space and their escape.” 

A customer added: “Good luck to all the staff. You have been the heart of the place over the years and made it an enjoyable experience when visiting.”    

The closure of the bingo hall has been on the cards since 2020, when plans to knock it and the neighbouring cinema down to build 350 new homes on much of the leisure park were revealed.        

The leisure park is next to Hengrove Park, which already has planning permission for a 1,400 home development on the former Whitchurch Airport.

The closure of Buzz means the last remaining bingo hall in south Bristol is Club 3000 at Broadwalk Shopping Centre in Knowle, which is also due to be knocked down and replaced with 850 homes.