Whole street has lockdown bingo party

They all kept to the social-distancing rules

Author: Hollie-Anne BrooksPublished 8th Apr 2020

With restaurants, bars and gyms all closed under new social distancing rules, things can get a little repetitive and dull during the day. However, one community in the North East of England came together to form a social distanced bingo hall right on their street.

Keeping to their respective households, people came out on their doorsteps and opened their windows as the numbers were called through a sound system placed in the middle of the cul-de-sac.

Organised by Mark Henderson, it's fair to say from watching the video that he's pretty handy with a ball or two!

Initially uploaded by Newcastle resident John Thompson, the series of videos have been viewed over 75,000 times on Facebook and received a ton of comments from people inspired to do the same.

Participant Carlene Robson commented, 'It was class! Thanks Kerry, Mark and family for organising it all. We'll put in cash/prizes next time!'

Others expressed their desire to live on the street and hundreds of people tagged their friends with the hope of organising their own event.

Check out these ideas to enjoy the perfect 'Saturday night in':

Gig cancelled? Watch a replay on TV

Were you planning on going to a gig, but it's been cancelled or postponed?
There are plenty of gigs available to watch online and some artists such as Coldplay's Chris Martin and John Legend have been treating fans to a free gig straight from their home.
Stream a gig to your TV and imagine you're right in the middle of the action.🙌

Turn on Forth 1 to have a party

A nightclub might be out of the question now, but why not turn on Forth 1 on Saturday night and get your party shoes on. We'll be playing the biggest hits and the biggest throwbacks in the mix.

Catch up with your friends

Of course the weekend is when most people see their friends, but with the advice being that we shouldn't leave our house, why not catch up with them virtually.
There are plenty of apps you can use to video call your friends, try Zoom, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Skype or FaceTime if you're on an Apple device.

Swap the cinema for a home cinema

While the cinemas are closed this is when your TV will come into its own. 'Sit down' with your mates and watch a film together. There are plenty of websites you can use to watch the same programme or film with your friends. Services with Netflix Party and Kast will enable you to chat to your friends while you're watching something.

Play board games virtually

Admittedly, it's not quite the same, but you can still play board games with friends, albeit remotely. There are plenty of apps that will allow you to join up with your mates and play the same game together in real time.

Karaoke 'with' mates

Most people love a sing-song, so why should being apart stop you. There are plenty of Karaoke computer games, CDs and even YouTube has some backing tracks for you sing along to.

Karaoke is no fun without your mates of course, so hook up with them online and share the fun you'd normally have with them.

Enjoy a meal in

This weekend treat someone you live with to a meal. Make the meal a bit different to what you might normally cook, whether it's tapas, making your own pizzas or a homemade shepherd's pie. For some great ideas take a look at our store cupboard recipes.

Play computer games online

There are so many computer games out there you'll be spoilt for choice, however there are also several that are perfect for playing online with mates.

Whether you have housemates to self-isolate with, or you're by yourself, it's time to get your game on!

Swap ten-pin bowling for skittles

Planned to go ten-pin bowling with mates? Switch things up a bit and grab a set of kids' skittles! You can still do this with your house mates or if a few of you have your own sets then why not link up online so you can compare scores?

For great music and incredible competitions tune into Forth 1 on 97.3, DAB, online, on the Rayo app, or say ‘Play FORTH 1’ to your Smart Speaker. You’ll find new favourites every day and hear the songs you've missed from the last few years. From Boogie In The Morning, to Garry and Steven getting you home after work, we play you the biggest hits from the world's hottest artists.