Really Big Quiz raises over £30,000 for North Devon charities

Barnstaple’s Really Big Quiz, which marked its 10th anniversary on 13 November, is celebrating a major milestone having raised over £30,000 for the Mayor of Barnstaple’s charities of choice since its launch in 2010.

This year’s event, which was once again organised and hosted by Exeter and Barnstaple-based accountancy firm Simpkins Edwards, raised over £2,900, tipping the total collected over the years to £30,316.96. Combined with Simpkins Edwards’ Exeter edition of the Really Big Quiz, which has been running since 2003, the firm has helped raise over £114,000 for local charities across Devon.

This year’s event, which was held in aid of Age Concern Barnstaple and the See Hear Centre, Barnstaple, saw a packed room fight it out for the title of North Devon’s brainiest quiz team. 

33 teams vied for the top spot, taking on eight rounds of testing questions posed by Simpkins Edwards’ very own Victoria Corren Mitchell and Alexander Armstrong for the night, partners Jilly Watson and James Welton.

At the interval, James Morrish of Kivells whipped the teams into a bidding frenzy during the evening’s auction, with the top item for the night – a remote control Audi R8 LMS – going for £85. Coupled with a hysterical game of ‘Heads or Tails’, entry fees and money raised from the raffle, the grand total raised on the night was £2,991.76.

‘Locals at Work’ walked away with the Simpkins Edwards’ Really Big Quiz trophy in a tight battle with 2012 winners ‘Acolytes’. Simpkins Edwards’ own team from the Holsworthy office, ‘Late to the Party’, came third. Just 5 points separated the top 5 teams. 

Commenting on the success of the event Jilly Watson, Partner at Simpkins Edwards, said: “The 10th anniversary of the Really Big Quiz has been a fantastic milestone. Through the support of local participants, tens of thousands of pounds has been raised for sixteen local charities over the past ten years, helping make a huge difference to worthy causes and individuals supported by them.”

Cllr Alan Rennles, Mayor of Barnstaple, added: “I would like to pay tribute to Simpkins Edwards, organisers of the Really Big Quiz for the past decade. With their help, we have brought businesses and individuals together for the benefit of charities both in Barnstaple and across North Devon.

“Supported by James Morrish - who has an incredible ability to encourage participants to put their hands deep into their pockets - and the Barnstaple Sea Cadets who helped dish out raffle prizes, collect money and gather answer sheets throughout the night, we have once again collected a huge total for the Mayor’s charities of choice. We look forward to next year and to continuing this wonderful charitable event for many years to come.”

Next year’s Barnstaple Really Big Quiz will be held on 11 November 2020 at the Barnstaple Hotel.