AN entrepreneur who brought bingo to Worcester - and professional wrestling and roller skating and Screaming Lord Sutch – has died at the age of 87.

For more than 30 years, Kay Bamford was known as the city’s Miss Entertainment, promoting events first at the Public Hall in the Cornmarket and when that was knocked down in the mid-Sixties setting up her own venue The Majestic in Warndon.

When she retired from the Majestic in 1987, Kay Bamford-Burnell (by then married to husband Ken Burnell and living in Zermatt Close, Northwick) enjoyed a remarkable second coming as an award-winning amateur wildlife film maker.

That she followed her father into the entertainment business was more by unfortunate circumstances than design.

Speaking about her early life, Kay, who was born in Hitchen, Hertfordshire, once said: “After leaving school, I enlisted in the Women's Royal Naval service at 18 to follow a career as an aircraft mechanic.

At 20 following the death of my father and being the eldest of six children I was discharged on compassionate grounds so I could follow in his footsteps into the entertainment business to help support the family.

“At 21 I branched out on my own and proceeded to open businesses across the south of England promoting boxing, wrestling, ballroom dancing, roller skating and all the top pop groups until 1959 when I moved to Worcester to open The Majestic, based in the Public Hall in the Cornmarket.

“The same combination of entertainments continued for many years until the bingo craze hit the UK, when I started to promote this more vigorously.

“With the anticipated redevelopment of the Cornmarket area – which included the eventual demolition of the Public Hall in 1966 - I opened a purpose built hall in Warndon for the sole purpose of bingo. I enjoyed many happy years there until I decided to take early retirement.”

Never one to sit still for long, Kay, who also had a beauty clinic in Broad Street, then began developing her film making hobby, starting with cine before moving on to video.

She added: “I enjoyed filming action events such as motor racing, balloon festivals, and, as I am a keen water skier and windsurfer, all water sports. But I have always loved the animal kingdom in any shape or form and have tended to concentrate on this subject. I have done a few videos for friends’ weddings, but these have not excited me half as much as wildlife!”

Kay’s wildlife filming took her all over the world, to Kenya, Australia, India, the Galapagos, Canada, The Falklands and the Antarctic.

Having been successful with a number of films at Worcester Camcorder Club where she served as chairman for some years, Kay then joined the national Institute of Amateur Cinematographers, becoming training officer and later chairman of its Central and East Midlands Region Council. In 2007 she was awarded the IAC’s Certificate of Fellowship.

Kay Bamford-Burnell’s funeral service will be at Worcester Crematorium on Tuesday, November 28 at 2.30pm.