AN OPENING date has been revealed for the re-opening of a beloved bingo hall on Canvey following a £50,000 investment.

The Rio Bingo Hall, in Furtherwick Road, served the community for years before it was sold in May last year and closed suddenly.

Now, it has been confirmed it will throw open its doors to bingo players once again from March 24 thanks to a partnership before Seven Entertainment and firm Almek FMS.

Jamie Collison is one of three directors behind the re-opening, and said the team has invested £50,000 to get it ready and back open.

He said: “It is with great pleasure that we can say on Sunday, March 24, the old Rio Bingo on Canvey will be reopening to the community.

“At this moment, we are going to leave it under the name of Rio.

“In total, we have spent in excess of £50,000. This includes all the equipment for playing bingo, a new alarm system, CCTV, fire alarm system, and remodernising the kitchen and bar area.

“We know there has been a lot of interest about when the bingo will be reopening.

“A lot of the older generation say they used it as a way of meeting new friends, and when it was taken away, there was nowhere for them to go.

“All the members of staff, which have been recruited from the area, and the team are looking forward to welcoming the community back and building a strong foundation.”

There will be a licensed bar at the site, with hot food available.

The bingo hall will be open from 5pm on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays. Doors will open at 11am on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

The building initially started out as a community cinema in the 1930s, prior to the Second World War.

The last film was shown in 1976, before it was converted into a social club, which had been hosting bingo ever since.

Back in December 2022, there was hope that the bingo hall was set to reopen under the name AJ’s Bingo, but the deal fell through at the last hurdle.