BID’s sell out Pub Quiz raises over £500 for legal advice for immigration detainees
Read about BID's first pub quiz of the year and hear from attendees about why they decided to support our work.
On Thursday 21st March over 50 people gathered at The Blacksmith and Toffeemaker, Clerkenwell, for a pub quiz and raffle raising funds to provide legal advice for migrants and refugees locked up in detention centres across the UK.
Well attended by supporters, clients and volunteers, we were also delighted to see so many new faces at the event which coincided with the release of the Home Affairs Select Committee’s damning report into immigration detention in the UK.
“The Home Office approach to immigration detention is careless and cavalier – including casework failures, insufficient judicial safeguards, and a general lack of humanity in the system” – said Yvette Cooper MP, Chair of Home Affairs Select Committee
Teams competed for first place across five rounds including pictures, culture, history, sport and maps. One round drew particular attention as its questions were taken from sample papers of the Life in the UK test people are expected to pass in order to become British Citizens.
Xanthe Salter, a junior doctor interested in migrant rights, said:
“The history round was so hard! I couldn’t believe that those were genuine questions from the Life in the UK test. It is absurd that people are supposed to know things like the population in 1600 and the date the British Isles detached from the European continent! I’m British and have lived here my whole life and didn’t have a clue.”
The “The Beyonce Know-alls” team stole the show, winning first place.
Elsie Lauchlan, a research manager from Shift Learning, said:
“We’re so excited that we won. I never win anything!! I’m also really happy to support BID because it is a really important charity that helps people who wouldn’t have the resources to get help otherwise.”
Her colleague, Scott Lampon added:
“I wanted to support because I think this country’s immigration policy needs greater attention. It needs changing and we need to help those who are currently being failed by it.”
The raffle was also a great success. Prizes donated included:
- Signed limited edition prints by Artist Taxi Driver
- A meal for two with prosecco at Slaw, Upper Street
- A year long cinema membership from Picturehouse UK
- Signed copies of “The Secret Barrister”
- An exclusive CD from Ronnie Scott’s
- A Palestinian Keffiye
- Two bottles of premium Champagne
We sold over 100 raffle tickets and are extremely grateful to all the people and organisations that donated prizes.
Sadly, this will be our last pub quiz at the Blacksmith and Toffeemaker as it is due to close at the end of the month. We would like to say a huge thank you to the team there for being such incredible hosts to us over the years.
We’ll be finding a new home for our next pub quiz which will be in Refugee Week later in the year. Subscribe to our mailing list to make sure you receive an invite.
Celia Clarke, BID Director, commented: “This is the first BID pub quiz that has sold out and we are delighted that so many people decided to attend and raise money for our work! I’d like to thank everyone who attended, The Blacksmith and Toffeemaker who are always such wonderful hosts and all our prize donors. The Home Affairs Select Committee report coincidentally published the same day really exposed how desperately change is needed and why our work challenging detention is so vital. We are very grateful to everyone who supports us.”
