galabingo.com and Mrs Obama raise £20k for Sue Ryder Care

Barack Obama's step mother, Kezia Obama, and galabingo.com presented a £20,000 cheque to Sue Ryder Care hospice in Henley-on-Thames on Friday, February 27.

Keen bingo fan Kezia, who lives in Bracknell, Berkshire, helped the leading gaming site raise vital funds for the charity through her dedicated online game which was featured on galabingo.com in January to celebrate Barack Obama's Inauguration.

Called 'Mrs Obama Bingo', the game went live on 14 January as she flew out to join her President-in-Waiting stepson in Washington DC and raised a fantastic £10,000 in just 10 days. As a goodwill gesture, galabingo.com matched the amount raised for its group-wide charity, bringing the total donation to £20,000.

Kezia said: "It is great that I have been able to use my good fortune to help Sue Ryder Care, thanks to galabingo.com. I am delighted to have already helped raise such a fantastic amount of money for such a worthy charity."

All the money raised will help Sue Ryder Care continue to provide expert and compassionate care to people living with conditions including cancer, multiple sclerosis, stroke and Huntington's Disease.

Clive Cottrell, Head of Marketing at galabingo.com, said: "We are delighted to match the amount raised by 'Mrs Obama's Bingo'. This is just one of a number of ongoing activities being undertaken by Gala Coral Group to meet our target of raising £1million for Sue Ryder Care by 2010."

Gala Coral Group is currently running a 'Having a Ball' themed week (23 February to 1 March), which is designed to raise awareness and funds for its charity partner. As part of the week, 'Mrs Obama's Bingo' has returned to galabingo.com between 8pm and 9pm in the City Club of the website where the company will donate 10p of every £1 spent on the game to Sue Ryder Care.

Bridget Auger, Business Development Manager at Sue Ryder Care, said: "We're thrilled that galabingo.com's recent initiative raised such a fantastic amount of money for Sue Ryder Care. On behalf of the charity, I'd like to extend a sincere thanks to everybody who got involved and to galabingo.com for its ongoing support."

Bridget added: "Fundraising initiatives such as 'Mrs Obama's Bingo' and Gala Coral's 'Having a Ball' themed week provide a great opportunity to have some fun, and are also crucial in helping us carry on our work helping those with serious illnesses. Staff and members of Gala Coral are showing tremendous support. Even the smallest of fundraising activities really does make a difference."