Sylvia Beaton at the Mecca bingo hall in Arlington Road yesterday (Wednesday)

One of the last surviving singers of “the oldest rock band in the world” is among dozens of pensioners left devastated after learning the historic Camden Mecca Bingo Hall is set to call its last list of numbers.

Sylvia Beaton appeared in a semi final of Britain’s Got Talent in 2007 with the Zimmers band that became a national sensation singing covers of the Beastie Boys’ Fight For Your Right to Party and The Prodigy’s Firestarter.

She said her pals at the popular hall in Arlington Road, Camden Town, had been left in “shock” after the bad news was revealed on Sunday.

A company spokesman confirmed on Friday that Mecca Bingo was looking at “alternative options” with The Secret Cinema company looking to take on the lease of the venue that has been a bingo hall for 60 years.

Ms Beaton said: “What this place is for people is a place to get out. I am 81. I come here Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays. It’s freedom for me. I get out and about. I see my friends. Have a nice cup of tea. Well, I bring my own tea and sandwiches. But now, well, everyone’s shocked.”

She was one of 15 members of the Zimmers band, whose cover of The Who’s My Generation reached number 26 in the UK charts, which was initially set-up as part of a campaign to save another bingo hall in Essex Road, Islington.

Recalling her pop star days, Ms Beaton said: “We had a petition about Essex Road and we was on television and everything. The news, the lot. We tried everything to keep it open.

“We were called The Zimmers. We were on Britain’s Got Talent. We was the oldest rock band in the world. Now there’s not many of us left.”

Inside the bingo hall

Down at the hall yesterday (Wednesday), regulars told the New Journal how they typically spent between £30-£40 a day – but that the socialising was more important than the money.

Alice Durant, 83, from King’s Cross, said: “I’ve been coming here a long, long while. Maybe 50 years. I never win. It’s not about the money, I just come out to get out. It’s astonishing really.

“I used to go the one in the Cally. They closed that down. Then I went to the Essex Road. They closed that down. Then I come here. I’ll find something to do, shopping or something. I’ll still come to Camden because I like to go to the bank here and I like the Aldi.”

Bingo players are facing C11 and Thameslink journeys to other clubs in Cricklewood or the tube to Wood Green.

Anna, who did not want to give her surname, lives in Archway and goes to Mecca bingo every single day with her husband.

“It’s a lifeline for me and the community, for so many people – Kentish Town, Archway, Camden, it really is,” she said.

“It’s hard with my knee replacement, hard to get motivated to come out. That’s what this place gave me if you see what I mean.

“I remember the first time I came here like it was yesterday – it was 38 years ago. I was pregnant. I remember having a big argument here with my sister – I’ll never forget it. My mum, my dad, my sister and brother – we all come here still.”

She added: “Honestly I am heartbroken. The staff are our friends. The manager is fun and witty – he’s on point. It’s not easy to get on the bus or train for a lot of the people.

“So I’m looking around wondering if I am going to see any of these people again. The ones that can get about all trying to find out how we are going to meet up and get to the one in Cricklewood.”

Land Registry documents suggest that Mecca took over the bingo hall in 2000 as part of a lease agreement with Odeon Cinemas Ltd.

Mecca Bingo in Arlington Road

In total, 23 staff jobs are affected by the decision that follows an attempt to sublet the upstairs of the venue for events and gigs.

DJ Luck and MC Neat played an old school garage gig at the venue last month as the company looks at alternative ways to raise funds.

The Mecca company has helped raise thousands of pounds for good causes over the years – most recently for sick children at Great Ormond Street and also the homeless charities in Camden.

Secret Cinema did not respond to a request for comment from the New Journal this week. The company offers film fans the chance to “live” an experience of their favourite films by taking a trip through a fictional world with twists and turns promised along the way.

The Rank Group, which owns Mecca Bingo and Grosvenor Casinos, has been badly hit by losses believed to be connected to the cost of living crisis. There have been a series of closures that have seen more half the clubs around the country shut since the pandemic – Doncaster, Hull, Chester, Hayes and Hillingdon have shut this year.

A spokesman for Mecca Bingo Ltd added: “I can confirm that the club is open and fully operational, but that we are looking into alternative options for the site.”

Richard McElroy, operations director at Mecca Bingo, said: “Trading has been tough across hospitality, and regular bingo players have been slow to return to halls since the pandemic.

“Sadly, we are not seeing the footfall required to ensure the continued operation of our Camden club as a bingo hall, and therefore we are investigating alternative options for the site.

“The club will remain open to customers and fully operational until a decision has been reached.”