On a wet March evening an excited hubbub was heard from Harnham Parish Hall as the Salisbury Soroptimists’ annual Charity Quiz got underway. Ten teams gathered around tables, pens poised as the first round began.
Starting with rounds ‘Fings ain’t what they used to be’ and ‘Who said what?’ teams racked their grey cells and were ready for their fish (other options available!) n chip supper.
A further two rounds entitled ‘It’s all in a number’ and ‘Leading Ladies’ took proceedings to another break. The former round involved a bit of head scratching to first know the numbers in questions, then to add, subtract, multiply or divide according to instructions. Leading Ladies were not just actors, but women in leadership roles in diverse sectors.
Our charities
To give our quizzers a break we had brief presentations from our two charities for which we were raising money. EdUKaid, based in Downton, works with girls in Tanzania, helping them learn about their bodies and reproductive health. Salisbury Refuge is well known as part of a national chain of refuges. Penny brought along a suitcase to remind people that women often only have a short window of time to pack what they can carry for themselves and any children before leaving their home for a refuge. Women are sent to refuges away from their home towns to minimise the chance of being found or bumping into the perpetrator.
After the presentations the raffle was drawn with some very lucky tables winning multiple prizes!
It was then eyes down for the serious task of winning the quiz. Two more rounds completed the evening; ‘Remembrance of Times Past’ and ‘Musical Aristocracy’. After the supper break we had marked the two table rounds – a picture quiz and anagrams of TV chefs.
And the winner is…..
Points were tallied. Who could have guessed it was a tie! Both ‘Fluff in the Navel’ and ‘All Saints’ had scored 72 points! In past years we have prepared a tie-breaker, but this year we had to think on the spot. Our first questions was the height of Salisbury Cathedral spire, but this was far too easy and both teams were spot on. We then asked the population of Salisbury according to Wikipedia.
Finally we had our winners! Fluff in the Navel took the trophy…. or a pile of Easter eggs. Congratulations to them and commiserations to our very close second place team.
When all was cleared up and money counted we had made nearly £900 to share between our two worthy charities. Many thanks to all the quizzers who supported us on the night, to the volunteers of the organising committee and the sponsors who generously donated raffle prizes.