A FRIENDS-themed virtual quiz night organised by a Bromsgrove business owner has raised nearly £100k for NHS charities amid the coronavirus crisis.

Laura Jones established her family-run business ‘Eventures’ in April 2016, delivering quizzes, themed afternoon teas, celebrity Q&A evenings and outdoor cinema events to corporate, non-profit and social organisations within the UK.

At a time when she should have been planning her own business’s fourth anniversary event this month she found herself handling a myriad of cancelled client bookings due to Coronavirus.

As a new Mum, relying on her business to provide her income, Laura decided to move her quizzes online during lockdown, starting with a virtual ‘Friends’ quiz on Friday March 27.

She thought a few hundred people might sign up, paying a small entry fee. This would help generate a modest income and keep her busy during the lockdown period.

However, as the number of people registering escalated to thousands, Laura decided to hold the event as a fundraiser for the NHS, requesting a minimum £2 donation for people who wanted to take part.

The event was broadcast live on Facebook and You Tube and approximately 130,000 people joined in with the quiz – including people from China, America, Dubai, Canada, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Netherlands and New Zealand

Donations made via a dedicated Just Giving page raised £92,500, and further donations made since then take the current total to £95,095.

Laura said: “I recognised the potential for these events to raise money for the NHS, to give something back to those who are working so hard at the moment. However, I never dreamed so much money would be raised in such a short time. We should soon smash the £100,000 mark and then it will be onward and upward with each new quiz night. Please get in touch and join in the fun.”

Eventures will be keeping the world entertained throughout lockdown with a virtual quiz night every week and the theme for this Friday, April 3, is Disney.

For details of how to take part and make a donation, people can visit facebook.com/ukeventures/.