Hundreds raised for Macmillan and local animal rescue charities in two nights
Money has rolled in for good causes from pub quizzes
Two nights of quizzes raised hundreds for charity last week. Macmillan Cancer Support received a £260 boost and Second Chance Animal Rescue branches in Southampton and Portsmouth received £255 each, thanks to charity quizzes last Friday and Saturday. Both charities need funds to provide vital services to people and animals here in the south.
Macmillan is the chosen charity for the Red Lion pub, Stubbington which is operated by Greene King and General Manager, Luke Wilson and his team have been fundraising throughout the year. The charity quiz on Saturday 19th September raised £260, making the total raised so far a whopping £5,216. More charity events are planned at the pub, including a Halloween event on 31st October, casino night on 28th November and a Christmas quiz on 19th December.
The other charity quiz was on Friday 18th September at Bayside Cabin, Stokes Bay and supported Second Chance Animal Rescue - the charity provides rescue support for abandoned cats, dogs, small animals and wildlife and has branches in Portsmouth and Southampton.
Their dedicated team of volunteers has helped thousands of animals to find homes over the past 40 years, and they have hand-raised orphaned animals and released wildlife back into the wild. They vaccinate and microchip animals and treat any illness or injury, which can incur large veterinary bills. They also neuter and spay animals, adding to running costs. Fred Dinenage is a patron, and Janeen Davis runs the Portsmouth branch which mainly deals with abandoned cats, whilst Rose Milne runs the Southampton branch and deals with all types of animals.
Rose said, “We really enjoyed Gary’s quiz - the room was full of laughter and everyone had fun. We want to thank Adrian Chalk, owner of Bayside Cabin too as he kindly donated £5 per person and we had a raffle too. We’re really grateful to everyone who came along and bought raffle tickets as the money raised will help more animals.”
Charities across the south and the UK are finding it harder and harder to fundraise and are looking for creative ways to raise money and charity quizzes are popular as they are good fun and can raise hundreds in a single night. Adding a raffle with donated prizes helps to boost the total, and the Red Lion pub added a 50:50 draw where the winner shared the prize pot with Macmillan Cancer Support. They also sold scratch cards to win food and drink at the pub and considered a 'heads and tails' game with a cash prize.
Local radio presenter, Gary Parker has hosted three charity quizzes in the past two weeks – the third was for George’s Rockstars on 9th September. He said, “It’s been a busy time for charity quizzes and we’ve raised over £1,000 for the charities, which is good news. I enjoy hosting, especially the suspense at the end whilst waiting to find out the winning team and we always have prizes for the losing team too.
I have two other charity quizzes booked – supporting Abby’s Heroes at the Sir Joseph Paxton pub, Titchfield on 28th October and the Red Lion Christmas quiz for Macmillan is on Saturday 19th December. I know how tough it is for charities to fundraise at the moment and I’m pleased I can help.”
Red Lion General Manager, Luke Wilson said, “Gary’s quizzes are always fun, and everyone has a great time. This is the second quiz that he’s hosted for us and Macmillan, and I enjoy seeing everyone concentrate on the questions and hearing them cheer when they get the answers right! Gary has raised over £1,660 alone and I’m looking forward to the Christmas quiz on 19th December and raising more money.”
The charities share events on social media and their website so look out for charity quizzes near you and contact the charity or venue to book a table.
Gary Parker has raised over £52,000 for charity with his quizzes and runs a digital marketing company. He hosts Early Breakfast and Sunday Breakfast on Nation Radio South, and you can listen to his Chillout Masterclass on Nation Easy Radio from 10pm - midnight at weekends. You can contact him by email at [email protected]