Gala Coral staff to attempt world record on Mount Everest

A group of die hard bingo lovers are currently in training to prepare for the world’s toughest game of bingo - at 17,500 ft.

Next month, 24 dedicated bingo enthusiasts will tackle Mount Everest, dabber in hand, in an attempt to smash the record for the World's Highest Game of Bingo. The intrepid trekkers will face dehydration, altitude sickness and deep vein thrombosis as they take part in a bingo pilgrimage to Everest’s Base Camp - not to mention frostbitten fingers and toes.

The plucky trekkers, made up of Gala Coral employees from all over the country, have been preparing for the toughest bingo game of their lives by engaging in gruelling training sessions closer to home to ensure they are well prepared for the rigours of playing bingo at 17,500 ft.

The extraordinary challenge is part of a fundraising effort for Gala Coral's nominated charity, Sue Ryder Care. The team hope by scaling the world’s toughest mountain and setting a new world record for playing bingo at altitude they can surpass their fundraising goal. Staff from across Gala Coral has so far raised an £750,000 for Sue Ryder Care and are well on their way to reaching their target of £1 million by the end of 2009.

As well as long distance running and hill walking, Gala Coral team members have been familiarising themselves with high altitude bingo games by practising atop landmarks in their home towns - from the Blackpool Tower (540 ft) to the Gherkin in London (590 ft) and the Beetham Tower in Birmingham (520 ft).

And to guard against the approximate 30% drop in mental agility caused by being at high altitudes, the team have also been sharpening their number dabbing skills by playing double-quick games at their local Gala Bingo clubs.

The Everest trek is just one of a number of ongoing initiatives by the Gala Coral Group. The Gala online bingo site will be hosting 20 dedicated games per day for Sue Ryder Care between 16 - 23 October. The games will be played in the 'Country Club' on galabingo.com.

Gala TV is also dedicating its Sunday evening shows throughout October to Sue Ryder Care, featuring a brand new game where 10p from every £1 spent will go to the charity and broadcasting a series of mini movies that highlight the difference the charity makes to people’s lives.

The trek to play the World's Highest Game of Bingo will commence at Lukla on October 19 and finish at Everest Base Camp on October 24. For more information, please visit the Gala Coral Everest Trek website.

About Gala Bingo:
Gala Bingo is part of Gala Coral Group's Remote Gambling division. This division is responsible for the development, management and operation of the Group's E-Commerce activities in the UK and worldwide through Coral.co.uk, Eurobet.com, galabingo.com and Galacasino .co.uk. The division also operates Coral Telebet, the telephone betting business and is the UK's first operator of digital interactive televised bingo on Gala TV (Sky channel 861).

For further information please contact:
Lesley Hall
Gala Coral Group
Eurobet House
10-24 Church Street West
Woking
Surrey
GU21 6HT
01483 718326
www.galabingo.com