Beacon Bingo Loughborough - Restoration

30/03/2026

This is Easter week, a time that reminds us that hope can still be found when things seem beyond repair. Maybe that’s why this building’s story feels so meaningful at this time of year.

Closed in 2021 and left untouched for three whole years, this landmark building had a remarkable past, but an uncertain future. When we took it on in 2024, we knew it would take a huge amount of work, care, and investment to bring it back.

Since then, so much has gone into restoring it. Repairing what was damaged. Preserving what mattered. Caring for a building that’s been part of this town’s story for generations. Much has been done, and much still remains.

What you see in this video is more than renovation. It’s renewal.

What was once silent is now full of life again. Families. Children. Music. Creativity. Community.

This former cinema, then bingo club, is now being carefully restored and reawakened for a new generation, not just as a building to look at, but as a place where people gather, belong, and find hope.

And with the Junction Church now caring for it, week by week it’s becoming something many may not have expected: a vibrant, welcoming place full of life, open to the whole community and serving people in all kinds of ways.

If you’ve passed by and wondered what goes on here now, this Friday night is a great chance to step inside and see for yourself.

Join us this Good Friday at 7pm in the main auditorium for a contemporary evening of music, story, and inspiration as we remember what Good Friday means.

Doors open at 6pm for free tea, coffee, and refreshments.

And whether you’re curious to come along or simply following from a distance, thank you for the support and goodwill so many of you have shown along the way.

19/03/2026

A new sign has gone up this week.

It’s deliberately simple and understated. That was an intentional decision from the start. This is a landmark building with real character, and the aim has always been to add something that sits lightly, works with the building, and enhances what is already there, rather than competing with it.

There are a few further enhancements planned for the front in the months ahead. Nothing over the top, just thoughtful additions that respect the history of the building and give the frontage a little something extra. We’ll share more on those in due course.

One of the next priorities is removing the air conditioning units from the front. We’re actively working on that now and aiming to have them gone over the coming months. That will make a noticeable difference to the overall appearance.

We also wanted to give a further update on the frontage cleaning mentioned previously.

A specialist team spent 3 days carrying out a full professional clean, and a huge amount of dirt and buildup was removed. However, the marks left behind by the previous signage are a different matter altogether.

Those signs were fixed directly onto the tiled frontage using strong adhesive, not mounted on a separate backing. Over time, that adhesive has bonded into the tiles themselves.

What’s become clear is that this isn’t something sitting on the surface that can simply be cleaned off. Because the signs were fixed directly onto the tiles using strong adhesive, that adhesive has effectively bonded into the tiles themselves and left a permanent imprint.

The only guaranteed way of removing those marks would be to replace the tiles, which isn’t something we’re looking to do. Stronger chemical treatments have also been explored, but anything powerful enough to make an impact would risk damaging the tiles, and even then there’s no real confidence it would fully remove the staining.

So for now, that’s something we may simply have to live with, while continuing to keep it under review.

A few people have asked about the original frontage doors. Looking back at older photos, the building once had multiple entrance points across the front, which have been altered over time.

Restoring something closer to that original sense of openness is something we would genuinely love to do. It would be a significant project, so it sits further down the line, but it’s very much part of the long-term vision for the building.

There’s a real affection for this place across the town, and rightly so. It has been part of Loughborough’s streetscape for generations. The intention is simple. To look after it well, to treat it with care, and to make sure that anything added to it is done properly and with respect for the building itself.

01/03/2026

Last week, from Tuesday to Thursday, a specialist company carried out a full professional steam clean of the frontage.

We always knew the frontage wasn’t going to come up looking like new. Despite their best efforts, and they really did work hard, the overall change is more subtle than we’d hoped. The dull winter weather in the photo doesn’t help either! Truth is, this is a 90 year old frontage made up of terracotta tiles, with decades of dirt and weathering worked into the surface, and it’s the first time in decades it’s been properly cleaned.

That said, there is a clear improvement where it matters most, especially in the joints between the tiles and in the detail across the frontage. The team took real care over the 3 days and did the best possible job within what’s safe for the building.

We’re also conscious there’s a natural ceiling on what can be achieved, and there’s a balance between using stronger chemicals and protecting the building. In this case, the adhesive residue left behind by the old bingo signage has bonded deeply into the tiles after being there for over 30 years. Some of it has reduced, but a lot of it is still ingrained, and even stronger treatments aren’t guaranteed to remove it fully and could risk damaging the tiles over time. Protecting the building has to come first, so we’ll come back to this carefully in due course and look at other ways we might be able to reduce it further.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll start to take the next steps. The air conditioning units on the front elevation are planned to be removed. They’ve always looked a bit out of place on the frontage, so they’ll be going. New signage will be introduced, and there’ll be a few further touches over the coming months to help lift how the building looks from the street.

Thanks to everyone who’s following the journey and cheering this on.

12/02/2026

🌟 All Stars Stay & Play 🌟

Looking for a fun, welcoming space for your little ones? 👶✨

Join us every Friday (term time only)
🕘 9:45am – 11:30am
📍 The Junction Church (formerly Beacon Bingo)
Baxter Gate, Loughborough

A fantastic space for babies & pre-schoolers to play, explore, create and make friends! 🎨🧸

💛 No charge – donations welcome
☕ Includes drinks, snacks & craft activities

We’d love to see you there!!!

17/01/2026

Lots of conversation has surfaced around footage shared by Urbandoned, filmed inside the former Beacon Bingo building in early 2024.

While we cannot endorse unauthorised access to buildings, the lads behind the channel clearly have a genuine interest in historic and characterful spaces like this one. Their curiosity is evident, and it is easy to see why footage like this sparks discussion.

It is important to note that the video was filmed before we took ownership of the building. Since then, a great deal of work has taken place, much of which has been documented openly on this page. The building today is active, cared for, and increasingly used by the town.

Yes, the building is used for worship on Sundays. But throughout the rest of the week it is a busy and welcoming community space. It hosts a thriving stay and play for families, alongside a growing programme of activities designed to serve the wider community. These are run to a very high standard, and are intended to make the building accessible and useful to as many people as possible.

At Christmas for example, the entire auditorium was opened up for a full programme for families from across Loughborough, including a mini pantomime, performances, and immersive experiences. Hundreds of children and families came through the doors over the Christmas period, giving many people real access to the building in ways that would normally cost a significant amount to attend, but were offered freely as a gift to the town. There will be more events like this in the future.

The Urbandoned footage also compares Beacon Bingo Loughborough, which had been vacant for around 3 years at the time, with another bingo hall in Scotland that had been empty for around 15 years. As those who now know this building well, and who have had access to professional surveys and reports, we are absolutely clear that Beacon Bingo Loughborough was heading in that same direction. Thankfully, it did not. Timely intervention meant that decline was halted and a different future became possible.

We are aware that a small minority can sometimes make quite unfair & dismissive comments about the fact that a church took this building on. It is worth asking a fair and honest question. Would they rather this landmark continued to sit vacant and head towards ruin, or are they at least relieved that someone stepped forward, took responsibility, and committed to its long-term care?

This conversation also sits within a wider context. Loughborough, like many towns, has other large, empty buildings, such as the former Cineworld Loughborough complex. These spaces hold huge potential for creative, cultural, and family-focused use when vision, commitment, and investment come together. Buildings do not restore themselves. They rely on people being willing to step forward and do something with them.

There were also areas of the former Beacon Bingo building that did not feature in the Urbandoned footage, such as the old projection room and surrounding spaces, which highlight just how much work has already taken place behind the scenes. We are proud of what has been achieved so far, and excited about what is still to come.

In the midst of all the negatives, this is a positive story for Loughborough. A much-loved and architecturally significant building is being g properly cared for, and is being brought back into active use. It is open, alive, and already serving the town again.

Thank you to everyone who continues to follow and support the journey.

05/01/2026

Over the coming period, we plan to have the front of the building cleaned. We are not expecting the tiles to look new or shiny, as they’re around 90 years old, but we do want to have them carefully cleaned. This will be the first full clean of the frontage for many years.

As the photograph shows, the outline and fixing marks from previous signage remain visible on the tiles. It is not yet clear how much of this historic residue can be reduced, and that will become apparent as the work progresses.

This kind of work takes time, and progress will be steady rather than rushed. We will share further updates as we go.

04/01/2026

Lovely to read people’s memories and stories in this BBC article published today.

The art-deco building in Loughborough has since been converted into a church.

04/01/2026

We recently wrote about the very real risks the former Beacon Bingo building faced. We thought it might be helpful to give a little more context for those who are interested.

As a Grade II listed building, the site has statutory protection, and that protection matters. However, listing alone does not determine an outcome. For large, complex buildings of this type that have fallen vacant, planning discussions often explore a wide range of options where heritage value, condition, safety, and long-term viability are weighed together.

It is easy to assume that a Grade II listing means a building could never be demolished. In reality, that is not the case. Listing offers important protection, but it does not make a building immune from loss where prolonged neglect leads to serious safety concerns.

A sobering nearby example is the Derby Hippodrome, a Grade II listed theatre around 30 minutes from Loughborough. After years of vacancy and deterioration, the building suffered extensive structural failure. Despite its listed status, partial demolition was ultimately permitted on public safety grounds once the condition of the building had reached a critical point. The case illustrates a difficult reality: legal protection cannot reverse decay once a building has been allowed to fail.

This wider context helps explain why the future of the former Beacon Bingo building was far from settled prior to its acquisition in 2024. In 2022, a formal pre-application was submitted to Charnwood Borough Council (P/22/1880/2) exploring the demolition of the majority of the building, retaining only the frontage, to make way for a 256-bed student accommodation scheme. While this did not progress to a full planning application, it forms part of the building’s recent history and provides a snapshot of the type and scale of redevelopment options being actively considered at that time.

When we first gained access to the building in 2024, the condition was a serious concern. Years of limited maintenance, followed by extended vacancy, had left parts of the structure vulnerable, with clear evidence of ongoing water ingress and deterioration. Much of this was not visible from the street, which is why the scale of deterioration was not widely known.

At that time, a short video was recorded to illustrate the scale of maintenance neglect the building had experienced and the impact of that neglect. The footage shows just one section of the building, but it gives a clear picture of the condition we encountered.

Our immediate priority was basic stewardship: stopping further water damage, addressing safety risks, and stabilising the building to prevent further loss. These were not cosmetic interventions, but essential steps to give the building any realistic future at all.

What followed has taken the building in a very different direction. Rather than remaining unused or being reduced to partial retention, the whole building is now back in use as a functioning part of the town. Beyond the Sunday morning church service, it is active throughout the week, hosting families, young people, volunteers, community meals, activities, and local events that serve people from across Loughborough.

We share this for the interest of those who wish to understand the wider context. The work ahead remains substantial and long-term, but we are glad that the building is being used, shared, and enjoyed by the people of Loughborough while that work continues.

31/12/2025

As we come to the end of the year, we just want to pause and say thank you.

Thank you to the many people across Loughborough who have believed in this project, encouraged us, volunteered, helped, and quietly cheered it on. Your generosity, kindness, and goodwill have meant more than you know.

Like any town, there will always be a small minority who find any reason to criticise. That’s just part of life. But what matters far more is what we see every day: people who care deeply about this town, who want to see buildings used well, who value community, and who choose encouragement and good faith over cynicism.

That spirit is why Loughborough is such a special place. This is a great town, with a great future ahead.

As we step into a new year, we want to wish you a very happy, peaceful, and hope-filled New Year.

30/12/2025

FRONTAGE CLEAN UP. A LITTLE CONTEXT (AND A LITTLE REALITY).

We’ve seen a few comments asking why the front of the building has not yet been cleaned, so here is the full and factual picture.

First, the façade is not stone. It is made up of architectural terracotta tiles, believed to have been manufactured in Hathern. Those tiles are now effectively irreplaceable, as the company that originally produced them no longer exists. If they are damaged, they cannot simply be replaced.

That fact alone sets the tone for everything that follows.

Cleaning a Grade 2 listed terracotta façade is not as simple as turning up with water and chemicals. Before any cleaning can take place, samples and proposed methods must be approved by the local conservation officer to ensure there is zero risk of damage to the tiles. Only once that approval is given can a specialist conservation cleaning company be appointed.

There is another important complication.

The old Beacon Bingo signage was fixed using adhesive methods directly onto the terracotta tiles, rather than being mechanically fixed in a more sympathetic way. This is why the outline of the old signage is still visible today. Those signs had been in place for well over 30 years, and their removal has left behind significant residue on the surface of the tiles. That residue cannot be aggressively scraped or chemically stripped without risking permanent damage.

It is unfortunate that the signage was installed in that way, but we now have to deal with the consequences carefully and responsibly.

It is also worth saying this. When the signage was removed, we were informed that one of the larger signs was on the verge of failure. In other words, it was becoming unsafe. Removing it when we did was not only sensible, it was necessary.

To put this into perspective, this frontage does not appear to have been properly cleaned for several decades. It carries decades of atmospheric grime, pollution, and signage residue. Doing this properly takes time, specialist knowledge, and patience.

If we could simply get on with it overnight, we would. But that is simply not how listed buildings are managed.

We are going ahead with installing new signage and will work carefully around the existing façade while the wider conservation process continues.

The new signage has been deliberately designed to be minimalist. That is a conscious choice. It is intended to let the building speak for itself rather than compete with it. This frontage does not need shouting over. It needs space. The building has enough presence on its own.

Over time, we would also like to introduce sensitive frontage lighting, carefully designed to work with the architecture rather than against it. The aim is to gently bring back the presence and quiet beauty the building was originally designed to have, particularly in the evenings, while fully respecting its listed status.

Everything is being approached with restraint and care.
Enhancement, not clutter. Respect, not overstatement.

This building has stood in Loughborough for generations. Our responsibility is not to impose on it, but to look after it properly and hand it on well.

Thank you to everyone who understands that preserving a historic Loughborough landmark means doing things the right way, not the easy way.