Dog & Partridge Sheffield: Pub quiz winners warm hearts by donating cash prize to Shelter homelessness charity

A selfless team of quizzers who won a surprise cash prize at their local pub quiz have donated the full winnings to a homelessness charity.

Do They Know It's Crispmas were expecting the usual drink vouchers or bar tab when they won the Dog and Partridge's Christmas quiz on Tuesday and were shocked when £100 in cash was handed over by the hosts.

"We weren't expecting to win that money at all," said Liz Hnat, "They didn't say there was a different prize to normal."

Liz and her team, made up of colleagues from Sheffield-based Hive IT, were handed a wad of bank notes after winning the quiz and, despite the surprise, quickly concluded the money would mean more to some of the city's most vulnerable.

"We thought the £100 all together could make a big difference for a charity," said Liz, a Project Manager at Hive IT.

The team unanimously agreed to donate the full prize to Shelter - a charity who provide localised support to people experiencing homelessness and housing issues.

"We knew it was the right thing to do", Liz continued, "£10 to £15 isn't a lot to us, but £100 is a lot for a charity... It is awful to think that there will be so many people without somewhere to be this Christmas."

The Dog and Partridge and their community of regulars have a long history of generosity - often holding fundraisers or acting as a collection point for the Christmas Shoebox Appeal.

Pub landlord Conor Smith said: "Sheffield is a big community and it has a nice village community feel to it who are all proud to look after others.

"Our customers are lucky enough to be able to afford to come for a pint, but are very aware there are many who aren't."

Homelessness in Sheffield

In June, Sheffield City Council revealed homelessness in the city was at its "highest ever" level - more than 4,000 homeless people had been reported to the authority over the previous financial year (2022-2023), 500 more than the year before.

The cost-of-living crisis was cited amongst the reasons for the rise, which was said to be common across numerous councils.

In the first quarter of the 2021-2022 financial year, 437 households were living in temporary accommodation in Sheffield. This rose to 575 by the end of the year.