Fairfield win the inaugural Bristol v Gloucester Worldwise Challenge

The gauntlet had been thrown late in 2023, and after the successful GlosGeog WWQ event in late February 2024 we knew which teams from would compete for the Worldwise Bristol v Gloucester Challenge.

GlosGeog winners from Denmark Road High School in Gloucester, along with two teams from Cleeve School near Cheltenham, were to pit their geographical wits against Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Fairfield High and St. Mary Redcliffe and Temple Schools from the BristolGA event.

The Regional Challenge was hosted on the evening of the 12th March 2024 at the University of Bristol in the Old Council Chamber, Wills Memorial Building: A grand setting for such a competition.

Students in teams of three answering quiz questions in decorated chamber at the University of Bristol — Round 1: Alphabet round. Gloucester and Bristol GA teams answer questions in the Old Council Chamber

GA Bristol and Gloucester Branches Worldwise Regional Challenge Winners trophy

After a formal welcome and introduction by Prof. David Richards from the University of Bristol, students were first put to the test with three rounds of questions: an alphabet round, city scenes and physical geography. Quizmaster for the evening was Dr Tony Hoare.

Dr. Tony Hoare – our regular quizmaster challenges the audiences: “Which of the Great Lakes begins with H?”

Halfway through the quiz, there was a map-based round that specifically focused on locations and features found halfway between Gloucester and Bristol, with questions involving OS map references, symbols, bearings and distances. M5 services, an iron age fort and Berkeley Nuclear Power Station were among the featured locations, and competitors were expected to put rulers and protractors to good use while taking advantage of refreshments.

The final three rounds were based on a combination of geography from the air and two mixed bag rounds, with some questions drawn from recent news and events (including volcanic eruptions, tides, geopolitics and vertical farms).

It was difficult to predict the eventual winner as top spots changed hands each time the scores were collated. Thanks to Janet Neil and Dr Harry West for recording and checking these. All teams and their accompanying teachers and family members were left in suspense until the final results were revealed.

Congratulations to the overall winners, from Fairfield High School in Bristol, who won by just one point over the second placed team from Cleeve School. Fairfield were awarded a new trophy by Janet Neil (Bristol GA Co-President) to display at their school for the coming year. All competitors received a certificate for taking part.

Bristol GA Co-President, Janet Neil, congratulates the winning team from Fairfield High School

Well done to all involved and a big thank you to teachers and parents/carers for giving up their precious time to accompany the students.

Reuben Corbett writes on behalf his team from Fairfield:
“We’re excited to share our recent win in the Bristol and Gloucester GA Worldwise Quiz! As a team we deciphered OS maps, identified geological formations and fought off fierce competition from across Bristol and Gloucester. A huge thank you to the Bristol GA for hosting and organising such a competitive and enjoyable event and to the Gloucester GA who provided some of the questions. We would also like to give our sincere gratitude to our world-class Humanities department at Fairfield who supported us loyally throughout. This win reflects the hard work and commitment of everyone involved and we are grateful for the opportunity to represent Fairfield and showcase our passion for Geography.”