Marriott's Warehouse King's Lynn, Stephen Hawking, True's Yard Fisherfolk Museum, Ferry Lane Social Club: Lynn News Bar Man

Jeff Hoyle keeps us updated on all things pub in his Bar Man weekly column

Quiz time! Firstly, at Marriott’s Warehouse for the monthly coffee quiz where I was a late stand in for the regular host due to illness.

I used some of my own questions and probably only avoided a riot due to the absence of the ever popular local history round by the inclusion of a question which had a tangential reference to Jane Austen.

A couple of days later, I was on parade again, this time at Ferry Lane Social Club.

An experimental first such event for the True’s Yard Museum, we attracted a good crowd who seemed to enjoy themselves and raised over £250 for the coffers.

The relatively early start left me plenty of time for a post event beer, and I was well satisfied with the Rain Forest Bitter from Gloucester brewery.

Next night, it was off to Beccles to recycle the Marriott’s quiz for the benefit of a school in Congo, again an inaugural quiz for the charity in question.

It was a brilliant venue in the Sea Cadets complex, and the evening included an excellent curry prepared by the volunteers. However, the quiz element was rather unexpected.

Where Lynn has a long record of quiz events and a high standard of teams, the Beccles crowd were mostly quiz virgins and needed constant repetition of what was expected of them (err...write your answer in the space provided).

The one team with any clue won by a street and contained the local MP. Enough to restore my faith in the government? You decide.

After two hours of unamplified roar from me, the proceedings were complete and having spotted a few bottles of beer behind the hatch, I decided it was time to lubricate the throat and asked if I could purchase one.

Instead, I was given the remains of an open bottle, about a third of a pint. On the bright side, we raised £800 but if I return there might be a few changes.

That brought the total takings of the quizzes I have hosted this year to north of £3,500, which obviously would not have been possible without the help of a great number of other volunteers, which sounds good, but pales into insignificance beside the efforts of Phil, whose funeral we attended down in Bromley a couple of days later.

A former colleague of the Bar Wife from 40 years ago, Phil was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease six and a half years ago.

This is the same condition that affected Stephen Hawking and currently Rugby League legend, Rob Burrow, and has an average life expectancy of about two years after diagnosis.

Phil met the challenge head on. He broke two world records, being pushed in a wheelchair over a half marathon and then a marathon in record times.

He posted a number of travel vlogs under the heading ‘Phil no muscles rides again’ He wrote two books, Motor Neurone Disease, The Fun Bits and a novel, The Stealth Inspector, the latter being completed a couple of weeks before he died and written when he had use of only one muscle, in his thumb.

In total he raised over £55,000 for charity since his diagnosis. After his funeral hundreds of people gathered and heard speeches, watched videos and shared memories.

Never has a final toast been so deserved. Check out Phil Rossall online, watch some of the amusing videos, buy the books or contribute to the cause.

He may no longer be with us, but his work goes on to raise money to fight this most cruel of all diseases.

An example to us all. Cheers.