01/10/2026
To all supporters of my Annual Quiz, thank you for your kind comments within emails that I have received this morning and to the friends and Binghamites who have messaged me directly regarding Dame Esther Rantzen and our many years of support of Childline.
Over the years, I had the privilege of meeting Esther three or four times during her visits to the Nottingham branch of ChildLine.
Childline was, of course, her baby. Esther founded the service back in 1986, giving millions of children across the UK a safe voice in the dark when they had nowhere else to turn. It was a groundbreaking legacy, but Esther never just sat back and watched it run from afar. She was on the ground, deeply connected to the people and the volunteers who keep it going.
I remember so clearly the time she came to Nottingham to help us launch our Annual fundraising cryptic quiz, for which all proceeds are donated to ChildLine. When Esther walked into a room, her presence filled it instantly. Despite her short stature, she was a true giant of a person. She didn't carry herself like a broadcasting legend or a grand Dame of the Realm—she just immediately came across as one of life’s genuinely good folk who gave her time freely for the causes she felt strongly about.
She was extraordinarily warm about the work we were doing in Nottingham, but what really tickled her was the Quiz itself. It is a notoriously difficult, cryptic quiz, and Esther was completely fascinated by it. I had the pleasure of sitting with her and walking her through some of the clues, explaining how the answers were cleverly interlinked. She loved the challenge of it and was visibly delighted by the sheer thought that went into crafting those devilish clues. A lovely lady to meet and, although short in stature, whenever I met her at the Nottingham Branch of ChildLine... even at my 6'4 height... I knew who stood taller in that room!
On a couple of occasions, when our diaries matched, she very kindly drew the winning names from the entries of those sharp-minded solvers who had managed to get every single answer right. She was always so genuinely grateful for the money the Quiz raised for ChildLine—never taking a single penny of support for granted, because she knew exactly how many young lives those funds would help protect.
Esther possessed that rare combination of fierce determination, sharp intellect, and boundless warmth. She gave so much of her life to others, and all of us who had the honour of working alongside her—even in our own small way from my office in Bingham —were better for knowing her.
ChildLine and The Silver Line will be part of her legacy and, whilst she may be remembered for many other things, including a Dog who clearly spoke the word ‘Shaushages’, I would ask everyone to take a look at the following clip from an Episode from That’s Life that really touched me… and was another example of Dame Esther and her team bringing a story to life and to the public’s awareness… the story of the courageous Sir Nicholas Winton.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/videos/cz9987l2998o
Rest in peace, Dame Esther. Thank you for your kindness, your energy, and the vast, compassionate legacy you leave behind.
For a copy of this year's Charity Quiz, please click on the following https://www.hammondpropertyservices.com/quiz/ or the QR code.
Jonathan Hammond M.B.E.
