A 66-year-old has managed to raise an amazing £100,000 for good causes around Wales and the UK through regular charity bingo sessions.

Ray O’Brien a former Halfords worker started the charity bingo in 1985. Initially the aim was to help the church fund at St Timothy’s in Ely, later he decided to help his local Scout troop.

Living in Ely, Cardiff, he commented: “I became involved after my brother had started running the bingo night. We were both involved in the Scout movement and we needed to raise funds to bring over a troop from Ireland.”

Taking no profit from the bingo games, the charity work has become part of the daily life of Ray and his wife Margaret. In the early days when the bingo sessions were held in Ely Community Hall, around 300 people would come along. Ray has seen several generations of families supporting the bingo sessions.

“I get some playing now who I remember in their prams, when their mothers used to bring them along,” he adds.

The bingo games arranged by Ray don’t feature cash prizes but there are plenty of attractive prizes for the winners. Recently the couple have been raising funds for St David’s Hospital in Canton. Ray adds: “We raised £300 on the first night, and not long after Margaret and I received an invite to their Christmas party, I was so touched.

“The staff there often get presents for the children out of their own wages, but the money we raised helped this year. And the kids’ faces just lit up when they were given the presents.”

One of the child development advisers at the hospital, Justine Carter, felt that Ray deserved some recognition for his dedication to raising money for others: “He really is one of those people who has put all his energy into helping others without earning a wage himself. He has the biggest heart and he is constantly on the go to help raise money for local charities. I work in the NHS with children with special needs and Ray has kindly given us some money to buy sensory boxes for all the children I see with partially sighted or with cerebral palsy. He even goes on holiday Monday to Thursday and comes back on a Friday so he can run the bingo for the regular attendees.”

Ray is often asked by relatives to arrange special bingo nights in memory of people that have died, with the funds going to charities such as Hafan, Macmillan Nurses, RNLI. In addition money is also contributed to the donkey sanctuary in Somerset as well as a charity for mouth and foot artists.

There are plans to hold a special 25th Anniversary novelty bingo session at St Timothy’s church hall. Prizes will range from household items to cuddly toys.

Ray still uses the traditional bingo calls.