lynnews.co.uk Rita Hennessey who moved to Narborough in Norfolk from Tunbridge Wells in Kent in 1998, has been honoured and remembered with a memorial bench.
The bench will be at a village community centre in Narborough where Rita ran popular bingo nights for over a decade.
Rita became a bit of a local legend in the small tight-knit community for organising and running the bingo nights for 12 years.
Andrew Rayner of the community centre said:
“Everyone knew her, she was so willing to help and she would pay for things at the community centre out of her own money whether anyone knew or not. She was one of those.
“She could be confrontational and was not afraid to speak her mind, but at the same time she was extremely generous and kind. She was one for the community.
“Running the bingo nights for 12 years was quite a commitment.”
Rita passed away recently at the ripe old age of 83. She had been fighting an illness for a while and took a turn for the worse around Christmas having fallen and broken her hip on Christmas Eve. On top of everything else, Rita recently tested positive for coronavirus.
Despite Rita's passing, she leaves an enduring legacy for the Narborough Community Centre and the Narborough Community as a whole. At the time of Rita's death, the community centre took to social media to post:
“Rita was a very important and massive supporter of the Narborough Community Centre, she ran our bingo and other fundraising. She will be missed RIP.”
The bingo nights at the Narborough Community Centre resumed yesterday evening (Friday) with COVID safety measures in place and warm memories of the lady they called ‘Mrs Narborough Community Centre.'
RIP Rita Hennessey
Ben has been an massive bingo enthusiast and fan since playing at the seaside as a kid. Dedicated to bringing you the latest and best bingo news from the UK
