A team of Ryecroft Glenton staff took part in the first annual Tyne and Wear High Sheriff Fund quiz night on 10th November alongside 24 other teams across several professional disciplines including law, property and finance, among others.
The quiz was held at the River Terrace within the Baltic centre for contemporary art, on Gateshead Quayside. Predictably, the wonderful British weather at this time of year did not allow for any admiration of the view.
The quiz was organised by several former High Sheriffs of Tyne and Wear, to raise money for the High Sheriff Fund, a charitable organisation founded by two former High Sheriffs, Roger Spoor and Sir David Chapman, to provide grants to small charities working with disadvantaged young people, within the boundaries of the former Tyne and Wear county council area.
The quiz consisted of five rounds covering a multitude of topics including sport, politics and culture as well as the obligatory general knowledge round.
After a flying start, team RG were joint top after the first round, but sadly lacked the mental stamina to continue this success and the team came home empty handed. However, more importantly over £6,000 was raised on the night for the High Sheriff Fund – which, given that in an average year the fund hands out around £30,000 in grants, should allow for a significant uplift in grants in the coming year.
The position of High Sheriff dates back to the period after the Norman conquest and is worthy of an article in itself, but, in the interest of brevity, for more information on the High Sheriffs and the High Sheriff’s fund, please see the following websites: