Ashford SpeedQuizzing host raises over £3,400 for good causes

An Ashford pub quiz host has raised over £3,400 since June for good causes through a series of virtual quizzes – with more planned over the next six months.

Phill Thorne began hosting virtual Speedquizzes in April, primarily as a way of keeping in touch with his quizzing regulars during lockdown when all pubs were closed.

Using SpeedQuizzing Live, our free app and online platform that enables users to host and play fast-paced, interactive, virtual quizzes, Phill hosted his first virtual fundraising quiz in June, raising £1,400 for Finley’s First Steps, a crowdfunding initiative set up to support a boy called Finley who has quadriplegic cerebral palsy.

Over the summer Phill staged a further virtual quiz in aid of multiple charities including Rochester-based Holding On Letting Go, Greenwich and Bexley Community Hospice and Evelina Children’s Heart organisation (ECHO), raising £1,600 in the process. And last Saturday (31.10), Phill staged a quiz for Friends of The Wisdom Hospice in Rochester, raising over £400.

From November, he’ll be hosting monthly virtual quizzes, for the next six months, in aid of the charity Holding On Letting Go, which offers grief support to children and young people who have experienced the death of a significant family member.

Commenting on the money raised so far, Phill said:

“I love hosting quizzes, so when the lockdown was announced I decided to continue hosting them online, primarily as a way of bringing people together and having some fun.

“I had very modest ambitions around raising money for deserving causes, so I’ve been blown away by the generosity of my quizzers who have dug deep during these challenging times.

“To know that the money raised so far is making a real difference to so many great causes is unbelievably gratifying and I’m hoping to raise plenty more over the coming months through my monthly quizzes in support of Holding On Letting Go, a charity that does some incredibly important work.”

Pam Meller, fundraising officer at Holding On Letting Go said:

“2020 has been a really challenging year, with our fundraising efforts hugely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Phill’s support with our fundraising is a real boost, providing us with great fun evenings and enhancing the funds needed to enable us to continue to support young people who have experienced the death of a loved one.”

Phill will host his first monthly quiz in support of Holding On Letting Go on Wednesday 18 November, with details of all of his upcoming charity quizzes and how to get involved available at  https://www.facebook.com/SQKent/