The quest to break the record for the world’s highest game of bingo is on. A 24-strong team of Gala  employees from across Britain is setting out to complete the challenging task of trekking 75 miles and ascending 2,700 metres up the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest. This adventurous act will help raise £100k for Gala Coral’s group-wide charity Sue Ryder Care.

 Joining the team of trekkers is 42-year-old Mark Simm from Wigan – a bingo fanatic. Mark and his team will start their trek in Lukla on October 19 and should hopefully reach the Mount Everest base camp on October 24 and settle down to play the high-altitude bingo games. Mark and his team have been in training for this event playing bingo at a height of 400ft on top of St John’s Beacon Observation Tower, in Liverpool. They are shaping up by running long distance running and climbing hills. Says Mark : “It seems a bit daft, but if we’re going to do this challenge properly we need to be prepared so, apart from the high altitude bingo practice, I’ve also been playing double-speed bingo games to keep my mental faculties sharp because at 17,500ft, your thinking really slows down. This trek is a once-in-a- lifetime challenge for me and what keeps me going is the thought of standing on Base Camp, dabber in my hand, knowing that I’ll be raising vital funds for Sue Ryder Care. I hope we can do them proud.”

Simon Longbottom, managing director of Gala Bingo, said: “I am incredibly proud of Mark and the team who have volunteered for this challenge. I’m even prouder that we’ll be raising money for the excellent work of our nominated charity, Sue Ryder Care.” To support Gala Bingo’s fundraising efforts, play the bingo game dedicated to the cause. Visit Gala Bingo now and do your bit for a good cause.

Written for www.londonbingo.co.uk by Irene.

Gala Bingo’s latest event for charity is a trek by Gala employees to the world’s tallest mountain, Mount Everest. A new fundraising ‘Everest’ link online bingo game has been launched just to support the Gala Bingo team of employees who have signed up for the trek to Everest Base Camp for charity in October. A 24-strong team of employees going to set out to complete the challenging task of trekking 75 miles and ascending 2,700 metres up the world’s highest mountain. This adventurous act will help raise £100k for Gala Coral’s group-wide charity Sue Ryder Care.

The Everest Link Bingo game commenced on August 27 and will be in progress for two months. The game will take place on Thursday evenings at 19:25hrs. Ten percent of the ticket sales will go towards the Everest fundraising total. The trek, will kick off at Lukla on October 16 and finish at Everest Base Camp on November 3. Gala Coral Group, aims to raise £1million by 2010 for Sue Ryder Care, which provides care for people with serious illnesses such as cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease and Huntington’s Disease, as well as their families and loved ones. The Everest trek is just one of a number of their ongoing initiatives.

 The Chief Executive at Sue Ryder Care, Paul Woodward, said: “We’re delighted that a group of employees have volunteered to trek to Everest Base Camp to help raise vital funds for Sue Ryder Care. We hope as many people as possible support their fundraising effort through the dedicated bingo game (http://www.galabingo.co.uk/bingogames.go ). By supporting Sue Ryder Care, people across the country help us make a real difference to the lives of thousands of people we care for each year.” . Play Gala Bingo now and do your bit for a good cause.

Written for www.londonbingo.co.uk by Irene.