Hundreds of people joined a TV Egghead to help raise �10,000 for a Havering hospice.

Barry Simmons was testing people’s knowledge at the Big Yellow Q quiz night at the Brentwood Centre.

Almost 600 people helped fundraise for St Francis Hospice through the event. Guests included the Mayor of Brentwood Cllr Ann Coe, and Havering councillors Sandra Binion, Melvin Wallace and Barry Tebbutt

Barry Simmons, who has recorded 132 episodes of BBC 2 show Eggheads so far this year, set a question each round and also helped teams by providing them with answers, for a donation.

He said: “I think it’s remarkable that so many people came to celebrate such a lovely cause. I enjoy quizzes and was only too pleased to get involved and give something back to the community.”

Participants were tested on a range of subjects including London 2012, film, brands and a mystery tasting round. The winning team were colleagues from Martindale Pharma in Romford and team member Claire Stevens said: “We thoroughly enjoyed the evening and were surprised to win a second time.”

Lynda Head, the hospice community fundraising manager, said: “I’d like to thank Barry, the quiz masters, volunteers and everyone who took part in the quiz for making it a success. �10,000 is an incredible amount of money and really will help improve the lives of local people affected by life-limiting illness as it means they can benefit from the specialist care provided by Saint Francis Hospice when they need it.”