COMMUNITY support to help bring a Cowdenbeath bingo hall back from the dead has been described as "overwhelming" by the man behind the plans.

Thomas Wilson, who was manager of Premier Bingo for over 20 years before it closed earlier this year, recently announced his plans to reopen the venue after securing the lease.

A fundraiser has helped to pay for redecorating the High Street establishment with locals even rolling up their sleeves to help with improvement work.

READ MORE: Plans revealed for bingo hall revival

The club, which will be named Shorty's Social Club to remember Thomas' mum Emily, is now due to open back up two days a week from the middle of October.

Central Fife Times:

"The place has been completely decorated – it looks like a completely different building," said Thomas.

"The fundraising covered the whole cost of decorating and all the wall paper. It was amazing.

"I have had customers in every day painting, cleaning, it has been amazing. The support that has been shown has been quite overwhelming."

Although Thomas cannot open back fully until he secures an operator's licence, he will be able to open for some club style bingo sessions in the meantime.

He explained: "I have applied for an operators licence and am still going through that process.

"It is going to be opening on October 14 when the bingo will start and it will be bingo and then a singer. Then, from Tuesday, October 17, it will open every every Tuesday afternoon and evening and every Friday. So it will be two days a week for bingo.

"It is club style bingo we will be playing which is still bingo just paper bingo. Normally you get paper and electronic but I don't have that yet.

READ MORE: Premier Bingo hall on Cowdenbeath High Street has closed

"There is a cost involved in that so once the operators licence is approved, there will be electronic options available too. With the paper bingo, it is equal chance – with electronic, people could be playing 90 tickets with paper tickets, everyone is playing the same."