Woman, 21, named bingo caller of the year

A woman has been named the national bingo caller of the year after only working in the industry for the past two years.

Issy-Mae Hunt, 21, who is originally from Ipswich, began working for Buzz Bingo after a friend encouraged her to join the team.

After working as a caller, or presenter, in Ipswich, she moved to Derby to carry on her work and was entered into the National Game Bingo Caller of the Year competition.

She was awarded the title during an awards ceremony in Wakefield on Sunday, which she said left her family and friends in tears.

While at college, Ms Hunt was looking for a part-time job when a friend encouraged her to join Buzz Bingo in Ipswich, despite the fact she was not a regular player.

She told BBC Radio Suffolk she later wore a hotdog outfit during her trial for the full-time job in Derby, which helped her stand out.

For the National Game Bingo Caller of the Year competition, entrants from bingo clubs across the country were evaluated on their knowledge or the game, their calling skills and showmanship.

Ms Hunt added an extra element to impress the judges.

"I played the ukulele and I made my own original cover to Five Years' Time by Noah and the Whale," she explained.

"I did a spin of my journey through bingo - it was a cute little song and I showed a video, it was really cool."

The entrants were whittled down to seven finalists before Ms Hunt was named the winner.

She said her family were left incredibly emotional.

"They were all crying," she said. "I had mum and dad there with me with my partner, all my friends came to surprise me.

"Everybody was absolutely crying their eyes out but they absolutely love it, it's amazing."

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