Christmas quiz puts a spring in step of the hospice

The annual Christmas Dingbats Quiz, created by Burnley quizzer Mike Smith and his mum Maureen Smith, has raised £1,095 for the hospice after sheets were sold for £1 each throughout December at various outlets.

Mike said: “The Christmas Dingbats began back in 2000 as a pretty small affair. We sold 101 copies raising £76 for the hospice.

"When we crafted the 48 Christmas Dingbats for the first contest we thought it was to be a one off. But they were well received and we were persuaded to do it again...and again.

"If you had suggested to me back then that the Christmas Dingbats would still be going after 18 years and would have raised more than £18,000 then I would have laughed in disbelief – but here we are.

"There have been times that I thought I would not be able to set another batch but somehow I have managed to keep finding new Christmas items to turn into Dingbats and finding new tricks to keep the Dingbat regulars guessing.

"There have been 864 Dingbats set so far and I have enough left up my sleeve to be planning our 19th and 20th contests. If all goes well, I am hopeful that we will see Dingbat 1,000 appear for Christmas 2020.

"Of course, none of this would be possible if people were not willing to buy the Dingbats. Thankfully they have been so far and indeed over the years the Dingbats have developed a loyal fan base. As long as people are happy to keep buying the Dingbats I will strive to continue setting them."