A HALESOWEN mum has raised an amazing £95k for the NHS after her online quizzes snowballed - attracting more than 100,000 participants.

Laura Jones, of Hawne Lane, runs a firm which stages quizzes, afternoon teas and other events - so when the coronavirus crisis struck and she lost all her work - she decided to move online.

She thought she would have a few hundred local people taking part - but was gobsmacked when an amazing 130,000 people took part in her first quiz - a Friends-themed tournament.

The 30-year-old married mum-of-one set up a JustGiving page for people to donate to NHS staff and volunteers caring for Covid-19 patients - which has raised a staggering £95k.

She stages quizzes on Facebook and Youtube every Friday - this Friday (April 3) at 7.30pm the subject will be Disney - 40,000 people have already registered an interest in taking part on Facebook.

A Harry Potter and Gavin and Stacey themed-quizzes are upcoming.

Laura, who is mum to Oakley, six months, said: "It's incredible. I have been staging events in Halesowen for years so when I had to cancel all the upcoming events I thought I should go online.

"Since coming up with the idea of the virtual quizzes, things have snowballed somewhat!

"I thought there would only be a couple of hundred people taking part, we currently stand at tens of thousands interested in each quiz.

"It's fantastic, but overwhelming.

"For a little company like mine to create such an audience is incredible and just shows how much we all need a night like this in such difficult circumstances.

"At first I was charging £1 and I thought it would just provide a small salary for me, but when it became so popular I set up the Justgiving page so some good could come of it."

Laura's firm is called Eventures and sees her arrange events such as quizzes, themed afternoon teas, celebrity Q&A evenings and outdoor cinemas.

She said: "Much like all other self employed people, especially in the events industry, my company has been hit hard because of the coronavirus and lost a great deal of work this year.

"I am a new mom of a six-month-old baby boy and was relying on work from Eventures, but now not to be this year.

"I had planned to move my quizzes online for the foreseeable future so that I can still work, keep myself busy and entertain the nation."

The quizzes last around an hour and a half.

She is asking people taking part to donate £2 to the Justgiving appeal for the NHS as entry.

Laura is married to Chris Jones, also 30, who is a special needs teaching assistant.