Mayor’s Charity Quiz Night brings Haywards Heath community together to fundraise more than £1,400 for Kangaroos

Twelve teams came together at Haywards Heath Town Hall on Friday 16th October for the Mayor’s Charity Quiz Night, enjoying an evening of friendly competition, food and fundraising in support of Kangaroos Mid Sussex, the Mayor’s charity of the year. The event raised an incredible total of over £1400, helping the charity continue its valuable work supporting children and adults with learning disabilities across the local community.

Organised by Haywards Heath Town Council, the popular annual event brought together local residents, community groups and businesses for a fun-filled night of trivia and community spirit. Guests were welcomed with a drink on arrival and a delicious charcuterie board to share at their tables, before settling in for a series of challenging quiz rounds.

Quiz Master Cllr Nick Chapman kept teams on their toes with questions covering general knowledge, food and drink, geography, musicals and sport. The evening also featured the ever-popular Up/Down Quiz, which challenged teams to guess the largest distances different animals can travel. From testing their knowledge of the world to discovering just how far wildlife can roam, there was plenty to keep everyone thinking!

The competition was fierce, with twelve teams battling it out for the top spot. This year's line-up featured a fantastic range of team names, including Educating Rita, WI Wizards, The Foggies, Mid Sussex District Scouts, Haywards Heath Newbies, Billah's Winners, Gallagher (not so) Greats!, Who Let the Guiders Out?, Wardie's Wonders, Paul's Puzzlers and the reigning champions, The Parishoners. The Town Mayor, Cllr Duncan Pascoe, also joined in the fun with his own team, Duncan Disorderly, adding to the friendly rivalry of the evening.

The final scores saw The Parishoners and Paul's Puzzlers finish level, setting up a tense tie-break question to determine the winner. In the end, The Parishoners emerged victorious, retaining their first-place title for the second year running! The winning team received six bottles of sparkling wine, generously donated by local independent wine merchant and bar Grape & Grain. A big thank you to Grape & Grain for providing such a fantastic prize and supporting the evening.

Alongside the quiz, guests had the opportunity to take part in a raffle featuring a wonderful selection of prizes generously donated by local businesses. The raffle added to the evening's fundraising efforts, with the support of attendees and prize donors helping to raise money for the Mayor's chosen charity.

All proceeds from the event will support Kangaroos Mid Sussex, which provides activities, opportunities and support for children and adults with learning disabilities. Through a range of clubs, activities and experiences, Kangaroos helps people build friendships, develop new skills and enjoy greater independence, while providing valuable support to families across the local community.

Cllr Duncan Pascoe, the Mayor of Haywards Heath, said: “It was wonderful to see twelve teams come together for such an enjoyable evening in support of Kangaroos. There was plenty of friendly rivalry, some fantastic team spirit and lots of laughter throughout the night. My thanks go to everyone who took part, to Nick Chapman for being our Quiz Master, to the local businesses who donated raffle prizes, and to the Town Hall team for all their hard work organising the event and volunteering their time on the night.”

Haywards Heath Town Council would like to extend its thanks to all twelve teams for taking part, the local businesses who generously donated raffle prizes, and everyone who helped organise and run the event. Their support helps raise awareness and vital funds for a charity making a real difference to people with learning disabilities and their families across Mid Sussex.

For more information about Kangaroos Mid Sussex and the work they do, please visit www.kangaroos.org.uk.