BINGO! The word has a lovely ring to it.

It's also wonderful to shout it out when you've won a game, as regulars at Morecambe's Gala Bingo will tell you.

Bingo is currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity and in Morecambe people can't get enough of it.

Although many people are wrestling with financial problems at present, this isn't putting them off bingo. In fact, the financial crisis may be part of the reason that bingo is becoming increasingly popular. It's one way of cheering yourself up and there's the tantalising possibility that you might even have a big win!

My friend and colleague, Lauren Holden and I are at Gala Bingo to enjoy a few games and hopefully discover why so many people love it.

At the front door manager Mark Dowling and assistant manager Paul Worthington greet us and get us to fill in membership forms. You have to be a member of Gala Bingo to play, but joining is free.

Mark explains that he has been with Gala for 20 years: "I've worked at Morecambe for four years and before that I worked in Rhyll, Wigan, Warrington, Milton Keynes, Blackburn, Chorley, Blackpool and Hanley. Morecambe is the best!"

Once we have our cards and meet some of the friendly members of staff, Mark and Paul lead us past nearly 50 fruit machines and show us into the main hall which can comfortably accommodate up to 1,400 people.

The size of the place is breath-taking. It's a bit like a very luxurious aircraft hangar. Lots of people are sitting at tables playing paper games of bingo and others are at desks with computer terminals playing touch-screen 'Wizard' bingo. The hall is on two levels so that players can see the entire hall.

As we have a look around Mark says: "A woman from Rochdale has just won over £80,000 at Gala Bingo."

Some of the games played at Gala Bingo in Morecambe are linked up nationally, so there are huge prizes to be won. The club is open from 10.45am to around 10.45pm, affording people plenty of opportunity to play.

Then Mark takes us outside to the brand new and very trendy outside area where people can play bingo in the open air and smoke, if they so wish.

The area is covered and there is decking with exotic plants. There are several computerised bingo terminals and it would be great fun to be outside here in the summer months.

I ask Mark if the recession has had any impact on the club's business: "The gambling industry is recession resilient, but not recession proof," he says.

"People are still coming and having a night out. Perhaps they are not spending quite as much when they are here, but it's still a fabulous night out.

"It's one of the few places you can end up with more money than you started out with.

"We lost around 20 per cent of our business through the smoking ban, but people have started coming back.

"We probably won't get back to the heady heights of a few years ago but the decline has been halted and we're seeing an up-turn now."

Back in the main hall winner of the 'Bingo Caller of the Year' on several occasions, Patrick Bowler, is calling out the numbers using the 'Random Number Generator' (similar to 'Ernie' and the
premium bonds). Patrick will have been calling with Gala for 30 years in June and says he still loves it. He also calls for Gala on the company's Sky TV show.

"I'm back at Gala full time now and really enjoying it," he says.
"The Morecambe club is full of great people. You've got a small club atmosphere in a big club. Everybody knows each other. It's not a job, it's a way of life. It's being part of people's dreams."

Later tonight Patrick will be calling a huge link game where people in Gala clubs across the country have a chance to win up to £3.25million. The game will be called from Morecambe but anyone could win it. Gala is the leading club in the UK, with 25 per cent of the trade.

As I look around the hall I'm surprised to see lots of men and young people playing bingo. Paul says the average ago of bingo players has dropped from 52 down to the late 30s.

"We get lots of groups of girls having a night out," says Paul.
"Last night we had five generations of one family playing. A young girl can have the same great night as her gran."

The ratio of women to men is about 70:30. "It depends whether or not the football is on!" he laughs.

Before Lauren and I try our hand at Bingo, I have a chat with some of the regulars.

Brian Simpson from Morecambe has been coming to the club on Wednesday nights for several years: "You make friends here and have a laugh," he says.

"I've won £70 tonight! Once I won £1,100. I usually bring my sister and my niece. I've been coming since the caller (Patrick) was a lad."

Brian is playing bingo alongside Pat Hrachowina from Lancaster: "I've been coming here since it opened. I used to come when it was The Gaumont (one of Morecambe's old entertainment centres and ballrooms)," she says.

"I like coming here to meet people. Apart from here there's only the pub and I can't go in the pub.

"We like to have a laugh. You get some bitchy people who tell us to shut up, but if you can't have a laugh, what's the point!

"A lot of younger people are coming in these days. I've known Patrick since he started and I went to his wedding.

"He's the best caller. He has a lovely manner and he doesn't show off. He's very professional and always well turned out. He used to wear a dickie bow, but now it's more casual."

Then it's our turn to have a go.

Paul and Mark show Lauren and I to a table with computer terminals. We insert our membership cards into the computers and type in a code to enable us to access the bingo games being called by Patrick.

The money that we are about to spend on the games has already been put on the cards by staff at the front desk.

Playing bingo on the computers is simple. All we have to do is touch the screen each time a number is called. The computer instantly works out if we have that number on our on-screen 'cards'.

Our pulses are racing as the numbers are called and we get very close on several occasions.

When the national link game is called the atmosphere is even more highly charged.

Then there's a winner – someone from Poole in Dorset has won £351,000 and the other members of the Poole club get a share of a further £351,000. Wow.

Although we haven't won anything it's been a real buzz playing.
After the excitement of the big win things calm down as we wait to play a next 'paper' game.

In the meantime we enjoy our drinks and play a few games of the 'Monopoly' quiz on the computers.

Club members sitting nearby are kind enough to show us what to do in the paper game. Dobbers at the ready, we play the game, which is a little more difficult as you have to concentrate hard on marking off the numbers called.

Unfortunately we don't win anything this time, but it's great fun.
By the end of the night we've had a laugh and met lots of interesting people.

I'd definitely recommend a night out at Gala and will be going again soon.

Mark adds: "People want a place to go to light their lives up and they can have that here."

For further information look on the website: www.galabingo.com