The Swan at Old Weston win the Quizmaster Cup

Another £2,800 was raised for charity on October 8th, as the total sum raised by this event across the years was pushed over £75,000! 31 pubs and clubs across Huntingdonshire entered the Rotary St Ives Charity Quiz, with 500 quizzers competing for the ‘Quizmaster Cup’, kindly sponsored by Wellington Wise Estate Agents. With each venue competing as one team against all other venues, the winners (once again!) were The Swan at Old Weston, with a staggering 188 points (out of 195!). They will be presented with the Trophy, 12 bottles of wine and £300 for the charity of their choice, which is Old Weston Village Hall. They will also have to have another new Quizmaster, as winning quizmasters must move on to another pub! 

Two pubs tied for the ‘largest team’ prize, reporting 40 quizzers taking part, and each winning £200 for their chosen charity. The Prince of Wales in Hilton chose the Arthur Rank Hospice, whilst the Gurkha on the Green in Brampton nominated the Gurkha Military Fund. We also had two teams tied for 2^nd place – again winning £200 each for their chosen charities. The Admiral at Over chose Over Day Centre, and the Royal Oak at Warboys are splitting their donations between Warboys Underfives Pre-school and The Woodland Trust. 

It was good to see some different charities receiving donations this year – in third place The Royal Oak at Hail Weston chose The Cog-Wheel Trust to receive £120; they are a mental health charity providing affordable counselling and psychotherapy. Coming equal fourth, The Bell in Great Paxton and The Green Man in Leighton Bromswold are giving their £105 prizes to The Brain Tumour Charity and Your Voice Counts, a charity that supports people with learning disabilities, autistic people and people who are at risk of exclusion due to disability. The Anchor in Little Paxton were one of three pubs in equal 6^th; they are giving £80 to The Golden Ticket Prom Project, which exists to provide prom outfits, hair, barbering, beauty treatments, transport and support for young people who would otherwise be unable to attend prom or enjoy the same experience as their peers. 

Alongside the newly nominated charities were several local causes that regularly receive support as a result of this twice-yearly quiz. MAGPAS will receive 2 donations of £80 each from the other two 6^th= pubs, The George at Ramsey Forty Foot and The Mad Cat in Pidley. The Arthur Rank Hospice will get £60 from 9^th-placed The Jolly Sailor in Ramsey, and The Malcolm Whales Foundation will receive £50 from 10^th placed The Three Horseshoes at Wistow. 

Hot on the heels of the winners above were The Three Horseshoes at Houghton, The Centurion Social Club in Somersham, The Axe and Compass in Hemingford Abbots, St Ives Golf Club, Buckden Village Club and Parkfield Sports Club in Wimblington; all within 10 points of winning a prize! Between 11 and 20 points adrift were Lakeside Lodge Golf Club, The Cock at Hemingford Grey, Floods Tavern in St Ives, and The Crown and Pipes in Fenstanton. Finally, The Montagu Club in Huntingdon, The Haywain in St Ives, The Rose and Crown in Somersham, The Manor at Alconbury, The White Swan in Bluntisham and The Vine in Buckden completed the roll call. Thank you to each and every one for your participation, enthusiasm, and amazing knowledge! 

• The Prince of Wales would also have come fourth, but as each team can only win one prize, they have been automatically allocated the higher prize fund for having the largest team

Scoring between 168 and 173 were The Three Horseshoes at Houghton, The Centurion Social Club in Somersham, The Axe and Compass in Hemingford Abbots, St Ives Golf Club, Buckden Village Club and Parkfield Sports Club in Wimblington

Between 159 and 167 were Lakeside Lodge Golf Club, The Cock at Hemingford Grey, Floods Tavern in St Ives, and The Crown and Pipes in Fenstanton.

This super quiz wouldn’t happen without the enthusiasm of the pubs and clubs, along with a multitude of volunteers who help out as quizmasters and at ‘quiz control’, where all of the results are computed. A massive ‘Thank You!’ must go to all of them! 

If you would like to take part, the next Quiz will be on Thursday, April 15^th 2027. Follow us on Facebook to see which venues are taking part – look for Rotary St Ives, Cambridgeshire. If you’d like to volunteer as a quizmaster, please contact sking@stivesrotarycambs.org.uk.

The Rotary Club of St Ives raises around £26,000 every year, which all goes to charitable causes at home and abroad. Our next fundraising events are our Craft Fair on Saturday, October 24^th, between 10am and 3.30pm at The Corn Exchange in St Ives, a Bridge Drive on Friday, October 30^th and then our ever-popular Santa Sleigh will appear throughout December. Contact secretary@stivesrotarycambs.org.uk for more information about any of these events.

Alongside the fun that we put into ‘fun’draising, Rotary is a ‘service’ club, providing support within our local community, to young people, and sometimes abroad. If you would like to know more about how we ‘give back’ to society, please contact membership@stivesrotarycambs.org.uk for more information, or come and visit our Farmers Market stall in St Ives on Saturday, October 17^th. 

Sandra King

Pub Quiz Organiser

October 2026