Thank You, Whitchurch. Last Night Was Something Special.
We are still smiling this morning.
Last night at the Archibald Worthington Club, something genuinely lovely happened. Whitchurch showed up — for each other, for a cause that matters deeply to us, and for the families across North Shropshire who are living with dementia every single day.
Our Charity Bingo Night in aid of Dementia UK was more than we could have hoped for. The room was full, the energy was brilliant, the prizes were extraordinary, and the laughter was the kind that stays with you on the drive home.
We want to say thank you. Properly, specifically, and at some length, because the people who made last night possible deserve more than a social media post.
The Number That Matters Most
We raised £762!
Every pound raised goes to Dementia UK — the charity that funds Admiral Nurses: specialist dementia nurses who provide life-changing support to families navigating one of the most difficult experiences a family can face. Admiral Nurses do not treat the person with dementia. They support the people around them — the exhausted spouse, the adult child managing from a distance, the family that has no idea what comes next and nobody clinical to ask.
As a care provider that works daily alongside families living with dementia we know what Admiral Nurses mean to the people they reach. This fundraiser matters to us personally, not just professionally.
Thirty-One Businesses Who Said Yes
When we started reaching out to local businesses for prize donations, we hoped for a reasonable response. What we received was nothing short of extraordinary.
Thirty-one businesses in and around Whitchurch said yes. Thirty-one. In a market town of ten thousand people, that is not a statistic — it is a community showing its character.
We want to name every single one, because they each gave something and they each deserve to be recognised for it.
Alderford Lake — for the gift of tickets to an amazing music festival next to one of North Shropshire's most beautiful stretches of water.
Barlows Electrical — a local institution, as reliable in their generosity as they are in their service.
Belton Farm Great British Cheesemakers — one of the finest producers in the county, and a prize that went down very well in the room.
Benjamin's Deli & Café — because nothing brightens a bingo card like the prospect of a proper lunch.
Blue Water Indian Restaurant Whitchurch — a Whitchurch favourite, generous from the first conversation.
Chester's Fish & Chip Shop — quintessentially local, quintessentially generous.
Costa Coffee Whitchurch — reliable, warm, and quick to say yes.
Dan's Café Whitchurch — one of the town's best-loved morning spots.
Domino's Pizza Whitchurch — because everyone loves a pizza night, and they did not hesitate.
Express Mini Mart — community convenience at its finest.
The Field Cottage Bakery — a prize that smelled wonderful, even in the description.
Gardiners Traditional Fish & Chips — another Whitchurch staple, and a generous one.
Green End Pharmacy — our immediate neighbours on Green End, and as community-minded as they come.
Havana Crafts — beautiful, distinctive, and exactly the kind of local independent we are glad to support.
HP Nails & Beauty — a thoughtful prize and a generous gesture.
Jackies — Prees Village Stores — all the way from Prees village, which tells you something about how far the support for this night reached.
Jones's Coffee House — a Whitchurch favourite.
Lornashouse Lifestyle — gorgeous prizes and instant enthusiasm for the cause.
Orchid Nails in Whitchurch — a treat of a prize and a kind donation.
Refill Your Boots — the kind of business that embodies what shopping local should look like.
Prees Sports and Social Club — representing the wider North Shropshire community beyond the town itself.
Ralph & Rupert Italian Ladies Collection — elegance and generosity in equal measure.
Swallow Chinese — a Whitchurch institution.
Treehouse — one of those shops that makes a town feel like a place worth living in.
The Red Cow Butchery — proper local produce from people who care about what they sell.
The Raven Café — a welcoming café and generous to our cause.
Walter's House of Coffee, Cocktails & Champagne — a prize for the people who like their evenings to be an occasion.
Whitchurch Swimming & Fitness Centre — the town's fantastic new facility, which opened in March 2025, already giving back to the community.
The Vinyl Countdown Whitchurch — for the music lover in every family.
Timpson — a national brand with a genuinely community-minded local presence.
2Tanned — a lovely local treat.
To each of you: this night would not have been what it was without you. The generosity of this list is a reminder of what a market town can be when it pulls in the same direction.
What the Night Actually Felt Like
There is a particular atmosphere that comes from a room full of people who are all there for the right reasons.
Last night had that atmosphere from the moment the doors opened at six o'clock.
The Archibald Worthington Club was the right venue for it — a proper local club, and the kind of room that feels like it has hosted North Shropshire life for decades because it has. Eyes down at seven. And from there, an evening that moved between concentration and laughter and the particular delight of watching someone across the room stand up to claim a prize.
The prizes were genuinely excellent! A testament to the quality of what local businesses donated. Cheese. Coffee. Fish and chips. Nails. Vinyl records. A lake. A meal. A bottle of something very nice indeed. A bingo card in that room was worth winning.
More than the prizes: the conversation, the community, the sense of doing something together that mattered. Dementia is not an abstract cause in North Shropshire. It is present in the lives of many of the families in that room last night — The money raised goes somewhere real. The people in the room knew that.
Why We Did This
North Shropshire Homecare has been supporting people living with dementia across this area for fourteen years. It is at the heart of what we do.
We work closely with families navigating dementia daily. We see what it asks of them. We see the moments when what is needed is not a carer — it is a specialist nurse who understands the condition, who can explain what is happening, who can sit with a family and help them understand what comes next.
That is what Admiral Nurses do. That is what Dementia UK funds. That is why this fundraiser matters to us beyond the bingo.
If you or someone you love is navigating a dementia diagnosis in North Shropshire, Dementia UK's helpline is free, staffed by Admiral Nurses, and available seven days a week: 0800 888 6678.
A Final Thank You
To everyone who came last night: thank you for your time, your enthusiasm, and your contributions.
To the thirty-one businesses who donated prizes: you are what makes Whitchurch the kind of town worth living in.
To our team who organised and ran the evening: you did something brilliant.
And to Dementia UK — for the work you do, every day, for families who need you: we hope last night's total helps.
We will be doing this again.
North Shropshire Homecare provides specialist dementia care across Whitchurch, Wem, Prees, Whixall, Tilstock and the surrounding villages of North Shropshire.
If you would like to talk about care for someone living with dementia, call us on 01948 411222 or visit northshropshirehomecare.co.uk.
The Coach House, 15/17 Green End, Whitchurch, SY13 1AD