A Lancashire man who set up an online charity pub quiz which raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity has been awarded the Prime Minister’s daily Points of Light award.
Jay Flynn, a former pub landlord from Darwen, set up ‘The Virtual Pub Quiz’ as a way to lift the spirits of residents near his local pub expecting 30 or 40 participants. However, after a Facebook post publishing it went viral, the quiz attracted hundreds of thousands of people and earned the Guinness World Record for most viewers of a quiz YouTube live stream.
He has now raised over £160,000 for NHS Charities Together and over £150,000 for Alzheimer’s Research UK.
Writing to Jay ahead of last night’s quiz, the Prime Minister said:
On behalf of the whole country, and thousands of your participants stretching right across the globe, thank you for lifting our spirits at this time. And I wish you - and everyone taking part online - another fantastic Virtual Pub Quiz tonight!
Reacting to the Prime Minister’s announcement, Jay said:
Something that started as a local quiz for local people in these strange times has received so much support and I am honoured to receive this award!
The Prime Minister’s UK daily Points of Light award was first launched in April 2014 to recognise outstanding individuals making a difference where they live. Jay is the 1372nd person to be recognised. As Britain unites to fight the spread of coronavirus, the award is focusing exclusively on people serving their community through the pandemic.