2019 Charity Series: Quiz, Bowling & Softball

The year might just be waking up but the 2019 Harris Hill Charity Series is already raring to go!

Here's a quick update on the forthcoming quiz, bowling shenanigans and our Golden Softball competition winners...

In search of answers...

For everything we've learned as a species about science, evolution and the intricacies of the universe, some things remain impenetrable mysteries, the eternal unknowables; questions that have baffled mankind throughout history and continue to do so today.

Most of them will probably turn up in the Charity Series quiz if past form is anything to go by, which returns for 2019 on February 5th, run by the all-knowing softball committee and contested by as many charities as our brilliant hosts atPatch St Paul'scan possibly squeeze in! It's an evening of fun, fierce competitition and fiendishly difficult questions - plus prizes galore in the charity raffle.

Last year's event raised a great sum for Muscular Dystrophy UK and this year we're hoping to do even better forQEF(Queen Elizabeth's Foundation for Disabled People).

Which looks quite possible as there's already a superb selection of prizes, generously donated by many of our local businesses and more across London. Still more to come but huge thank-yous already to Embody Wellness and Floatworks Vauxhall,Oliver Bonas, first-rate florists Windmill Flowers, and both theSipsmith and Beefeater Gin Distilleries! (we don't know who's been getting through all the gin, but keep up the good work).

Team-wise the ones to beat are last year's top three: bronze medallists Asthma UK, runners-up Citizens Advice and 2018 champs the Canal & River Trust!

Bring it on, as people reportedly say.

A big night at the bowling!

Meanwhile there were strikes to spare in November as the Charity Series returned toRowans Tenpin Bowling in Finsbury Park for another high-stakes (by which I mean there were chocolate advent calendars to be won) bowl-off between the best part of 40 leading charities.

A great night as always, and an astonishing one for Team HH: in a twist on our traditionally-terrible total it turns out last year's fifth place wasn't a fluke after all, and after a mere 172 years of the contest we might have finally got the hang of throwing the ball-thing in roughly the right direction.

But it's not about us, it's about the brilliant charities taking part, and after a single year in third place the mighty 2015 and 2016 winners Age UK returned to the top, swiftly followed by a stellar performance from GOSH and a delighted Dogs Trust cracking the top three for the first time:

At the end of the day we can probably all agree that the real winner here was bowling, but also top scorer Anthony of St Mungo's with a record-breaking 193 personally-earned points, the highest-ever individual score.

Props too to CAF'sJack, Numan and Amy of St John Ambulance who we believe was the highest-scoring female bowler but shout if you know otherwise!

Until next time...

And finally, in (golden) softball news...

Should you have somehow ~~escaped~~ missed it on Twitter and be wondering who won our competition for last summer's charity softball teams - or indeed what on earth we're talking about - then wonder no more.

As you might have heard mention, we're immensely proud sponsors of the London Charity Softball League, which brings countless charities from the capital together throughout the summer, and never fails to impress us with the sheer dedication, good humour and hard work of players, supporters and organisers alike.

It's a challenging, superbly organised and phenomenally popular contest which, were it not for those qualities, might have something in common with our very own summer-long challenge: Harris Hill's Golden Softballs!

So what's it all about? Who won? And why?