Surrey, 13th July 2010. The NCC Group is Surrey’s brainiest business. That’s official.
The team beat off competition from 22 other teams in the Disability Challengers’ first Battle of the Businesses quiz last week held at the Wanborough Barn near Normandy.
TV and radio personality and a Challengers patron, Michael Buerk, was quizmaster and gave a spirited and humorous performance in this unusual role.
One of his first actions was to confiscate a Blackberry, not because someone was going to cheat, he joked, but because ‘he sensed temptation’.
But the money raised by the 150 business people was serious: more than £5,000.
Teams with names like Kwiz Fanz and Ken Dodd’s Dad’s Dog’s Dead, wrestled with questions on TV, film, current affairs, sport and local knowledge, and also tucked in to fish and chips followed by mango and passion fruit sorbet.
Richard Forshaw, director of The Comms Company and a member of the BEST Business Group team, said: “We want to support a worthy charity which I’ve known for a long time.”
Sandra Leslie, managing director of Parallel Business Centres, noted: “We’re corporate supporters of Disability Challengers and wanted to help a worthwhile cause and also mingle with SMEs. And, seriously, no, we haven’t been swatting!”
Michael Buerk added: “There’s an awful lot of loneliness and isolation with these children and I hope that hundreds of thousands of organisations like Challengers will spring up across the country and that’s where businesses come in to help.
“It’s been a fantastic evening and what really impressed me was that in the middle of a recession so many local businesses got involved and threw themselves into supporting the event. Great support and also great fun!”
“It was an absolutely fantastic evening,” agreed Adam Edwards, director of Communications and Fund raising at Disability Challengers, “and it’s great to see so much support from the local business community.”
Disability Challengers are at: www.disability-challengers.org
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