Mecca Great Yarmouth's Bingo Buddy of the Year has been named as Jane Rowley.The search for Mecca's Bingo Buddy of the Year was launched to recognise and celebrate the thousands of friendships that have been built over the years.

Mecca Great Yarmouth's Bingo Buddy of the Year has been named as Jane Rowley.

The search for Mecca's Bingo Buddy of the Year was launched to recognise and celebrate the thousands of friendships that have been built over the years. From always being there for you in times of need, to cheering you up when you're feeling a bit low, to simply making you smile, good friends are hard to come by.

No-one knows this better than Arthur Gibbs, who nominated Jane because she helped Arthur's late wife to continue to go to bingo when she was ill. Now Jane takes Arthur to and from bingo and is always there to cheer him up.

Mike Etherington, General Manager at Mecca Bingo Great Yarmouth said: “We were inundated with entries for the Bingo Buddy of The Year competition so choosing a Club Winner wasn't an easy task. However, Jane really stood out as a shining example of a true friend.”

Jane was invited with Arthur to Mecca Great Yarmouth on Saturday to receive their prize. Each club winner and the buddy who nominated them will be able to indulge themselves with a Cadbury Gift Box and will then have the chance to be named as a regional winner, an accolade that also comes with a year's supply of Cadbury chocolate.

The regional winners will go through to the national finals event which is being held on March 22 at Mecca Bingo in Wednesbury, West Midlands. A judging panel including Lorraine Kelly, presenter of GMTV with Lorraine, will select the national winner and he or she will win a 7-day Mediterranean Cruise, courtesy of Mecca Bingo and Cadbury UK.

Lorraine Kelly said: “It's great to see friendship being celebrated in this way and I'm really looking forward to judging the national final and hearing about some of the closest friendships in the country.”