Listen to this article:Mecca Bingo Brierley Hill’s Kelly Horton was named Best Bingo Caller at the 2026 Bingo Awards.
Kelly won the award after a public vote, and in doing so, she saw off fellow nominees Issy-Mae Hunt from Buzz Bingo, Chris Ashton from Sun Bingo, Gary Wilson from Bingo Plus, and Keenan McGuinness from Real Fun Group.
The award was one of the new Pre-Show categories introduced for this year’s Bingo Awards, which were designed to recognise the people, venues, and real-life experiences that help make bingo such a popular night out.
Kelly has been a caller at Mecca Brierley Hill for nearly two decades, and she has been joined in her celebrations by her colleagues and many of her regular players. When she was nominated, Kelly said:
“I love my job, and at every session I aim to give customers the best evening.”
Following the awards, a statement from the organiser said:
““The Best Bingo Caller award celebrates the voices that make bingo the great game it is, recognising the charisma, humour and personality that makes a caller truly popular with crowds. Kelly has become one of the most beloved figures in the local community.”
Impressively, her win at the Awards is not her first major award. Kelly was also named Mecca Bingo Caller in 2024, after competing against other callers from across the operator’s clubs.
Kelly is well-known at the Brierley Hill club, where she has built up a loyal following among local players. She has worked at the venue for 17 years, and over that time has become an integral part of the club.
That competition saw callers take part in regional heats before the finalists went head-to-head at Mecca, Wednesbury. They were judged on factors such as personality, stage presence, audience engagement and calling ability.
Kelly not only stood out for her calling but also for her line dancing, which helped her performance truly stand out. She later went on to represent Mecca in the National Bingo Game Caller of the Year competition, where she was one of seven finalists from more than 200 entrants.
As mentioned, one of the things that helped Kelly was her use of line dancing during her Mecca Bingo Caller of the Year performance.
After calling a game, she got the crowd moving to a remix of Stand By Me in an excellent demonstration of why callers need to do more than simply shout out numbers. Kelly has also used line dancing outside the hall. She volunteers at Wollescote Community Centre, where she encourages people to get moving through dance.
For regular players at Brierley Hill, this will not come as much of a surprise. They have had years to see Kelly in action, and the Award simply confirms what many of them already knew.
The Best Bingo Caller award was part of the Pre-Show section at the 2026 Bingo Awards. This year’s awards included five Pre-Show categories: Best Bingo Caller, Best Party Bingo Event, Best Bingo Personality, Best Bingo Food and Best Casino Restaurant. These were added to recognise the analogue side of bingo and casino entertainment, rather than focusing only on online sites and digital games.
The main Awards took place on Wednesday, 13 May, aboard the Sunborn yacht hotel in Gibraltar. Nearly 500,000 votes were cast across 17 categories. Mecca Bingo had a particularly good year. As well as Kelly Horton winning Best Bingo Caller, Mecca Bingo also won Best Customer Service, Best Bingo Food and the Editors’ Choice Hall of Fame Award.
It means that visitors to Kelly Horton’s club in Brierley Hill can look forward to not only one of the country’s best callers, but also some of the best food and customer service in the industry.
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