Bingo Bash: A Full House for the Strays

Eyes down! Our Bingo Bash at Pointe d’Esny Club Nautique raised Rs 35,840 for the street dogs and cats of the south. At about Rs 1,500 per sterilisation, that comes to more than twenty animals.

The Club filled up slowly but surely, and at one point there was even a queue at the ticket table. Families, friends and plenty of children filled the long tables, all the way back to the windows.

There were six games, one for each ticket colour, and every colour had its own prizes. A sheet cost between Rs 100 and Rs 500 depending on the prize, so everyone could play for the ones they fancied most. A line won the smaller prize and a full house the big one. The prize board was busy all afternoon, with players working out which colours to go for.

The red game was the one to win, with a night for two at Shandrani Beachcomber, half board. Purple played for a three-course dinner for two at Le Jardin de Beau Vallon, and blue for a one-hour osteopath session with Constance of Cabinet Planète Médicale. Along the way there were Le Connoisseur by Oxenham and La Boutik by Loyeung vouchers, pizza and a beer at The Bamboo, a Café des Fleurs treat, a massage and a bottle of wine from a beauty salon in Mahébourg, and bottles of L’Ostal Rosé and Drostdy Hof.

Our caller Sean, in a gold sequin waistcoat, kept the numbers rolling and the room laughing. Next to him our volunteers kept track of every number drawn, and each time someone shouted bingo, the card came up to the front to be checked.

Thank you to everyone who came and played, to the Club for having us, and to the businesses and friends who donated such generous prizes. Thank you too to our volunteers, who sold sheets, checked cards and kept the afternoon running. Every rupee goes to sterilisation days, vet bills, food and parasite treatment. If you missed it and would still like to help, our donate page is always open.