Quiz nights are back at the Community Centre

Saturday night saw the long awaited return of the ‘village quiz’. The last one took place in March 2020 (just two days before the devastating ‘Covid lockdowns’ began). Who would have dreamt back then that it would be nearly two years before we would meet again.

With safety in mind the numbers in the hall were restricted to 60, and once announced back in November, the quiz was an immediate sell out. However, continued uncertainty over ‘will we, won’t we’, go back in lockdown and some ‘quizzers’ testing positive during the week, the number reduced to 45 on the night; four tables were set up on either side of the hall – leaving everyone well spaced and comfortable. There was definitely an excited buzz around the hall, quiz night was the first social event many had attended for a long time.

An added bonus to the night was the provision of freshly cooked fish and chips by Ashley and his partner who brought his van to the hall. A slight panic for the organisers when the van broke down on Friday – but phew, the electrical fault was fixed in time for Saturday night.

What a treat; those of us in the village who regularly dine out on his fish and chips on a Friday evening know how good they are, but they were a revelation to visitors from outside the village who hadn’t sampled them before. Gorgeous, fresh and piping hot, with a pot of mushy peas thrown in. He will be back!

This time it was decided that all the proceeds from the quiz were to benefit St Peter’s church and be donated to the Friends’ of St Peter’s Group who work tirelessly to maintain and improve facilities at the church and in the church yard, and more specifically to help towards the unexpected costs of having the diseased beech tree removed.

Paula Smith’s team won first prize, achieving a score of 101 out of a possible 106 , with second place to Mary Gibson’s team on a 100 points. Prize money of £36 was shared amongst the two teams, and immediately donated back to be added to the proceeds for FOSP.

After hall hire costs and the cost of the food there is a total of £190 to be donated to FOSP at their next committee meeting on Wednesday. Well done everyone who made that possible and thank you to the helpers who set up the hall and did a ‘Covid clean’ prior to the event.

Hopefully – there will be another quiz night in March (possibly the 19th). Watch this space.