Hastings urged to help fulfil Jules Fielder’s final wish at charity bingo night tonight

A charity bingo night celebrating the life of Hastings mum and lung cancer campaigner Jules Fielder takes place tonight (Friday, November 6), helping fulfil her wish to raise money for the hospice that cared for her.

Family, friends and the wider community are invited to Deluxe Bingo Hastings from 5pm for an evening supporting St Michael’s Hospice, with a raffle and special bingo games taking place alongside the venue’s Friday evening bingo session.

Jules died on May 22, aged 42, after living with lung cancer for more than four years. Diagnosed in 2021 at the age of 37, despite having never smoked, she became a campaigner for earlier diagnosis and greater awareness of the disease.

Tonight’s event has a particular significance for her family: Jules loved playing bingo and spent many happy visits at Deluxe with her mother, Annette.

In a joint statement, Annette and Jules’ husband, Paul, said: “One of Jules’ final wishes was for us to raise money in support of St Michaels Hospice that cared for her so wonderfully. 

“We wanted to honour that wish in a way that reflected her personality and brought people together in her memory.

They added: “This is why the Charity Bingo night means so much to us. 

“It is more than just an evening of fun and fundraising - it is an opportunity to celebrate Jules’ life and support a cause that was incredibly important to her as well as us.”

Helena Dollimore MP, Member of Parliament for Hastings, Rye and the villages, said: “Jules Fielder was a very special woman. 

“Diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, she chose to spend the energy and time she had left campaigning for earlier diagnosis and better awareness of the symptoms of lung cancer so that others wouldn’t suffer the same fate

“But most of all Jules was a mother, wife and daughter. 

“Jules used to visit Deluxe Bingo with her mum. 

“This event is a fitting way to celebrate her life and raise money for our local St Michael’s Hospice.”

Working with the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, Jules helped launch the national #BreakTheSilence campaign and challenged assumptions that lung cancer affects only older people or those who smoke. Her campaigning also helped bring lung cancer symptom-awareness materials into Boots stores across the country.

Stephen Lawrence, Chief Operating Officer of Deluxe Bingo Hastings, said: “We hope people from across Hastings will come together to celebrate Jules’ remarkable life and help us raise as much as possible for St Michael’s Hospice, whose care and support meant so much to Jules and her family.”

The charity night takes place from 5pm today at Deluxe Bingo Hastings, 2–6 Pelham Place, Hastings, TN34 3AD. Raffle tickets cost £2.50 each. For further information, call the venue on 01424 614400.