A year of local news in 15 questions
Here are all the answers, with links to the original stories. Each question was based on real reporting from Putney.news throughout 2025.
The Boat Race
Q1. What was the result of this year’s Boat Race?
Answer: Cambridge won both
Cambridge completed a hat-trick of doubles, winning both races for the third consecutive year.
Q2. The traditional tossing of the winning cox into the Thames was discouraged this year. Why?
Answer: E. coli contamination in the water
Sewage pollution in the Thames meant water quality warnings were in place. The winning cox was advised to stay dry.
Thames Tales
Q3. In August, what was swallowed up by the tidal Thames?
Answer: An SUV
A vehicle parked near the rowing clubs was engulfed by the rising tide, providing dramatic footage for onlookers.
Sport
Q4. Putney is home to which unusual underwater sport?
Answer: Underwater rugby
The Polytechnic Underwater Rugby Club trains at a local pool – one of only a handful of clubs in the UK playing this obscure sport.
Q5. What record transfer fee did Fulham pay for Brazilian player Kevin?
Answer: £35 million
The club-record signing arrived from Shakhtar Donetsk, smashing Fulham’s previous transfer record.
The Junction Saga
Q6. How much has the Putney Bridge junction redesign cost so far, including emergency measures to try to make it work?
Answer: £1 million
The original scheme cost £835,000, with a further £169,000+ spent on emergency fixes when it caused gridlock – and counting.
Q7. The redesigned junction reduced green light time for traffic on Putney Bridge Road by how many seconds per cycle?
Answer: 21 seconds
Morning peak traffic lost 21 seconds of green time per cycle – a significant reduction that contributed to severe congestion.
Q8. After walking through Putney’s gridlocked junction, which former Prime Minister did Councillor Will Yates blame for the traffic problems?
Answer: Margaret Thatcher
In a memorable exchange, Cllr Yates attributed the junction’s problems to decisions made in the Thatcher era – a claim that raised eyebrows given the redesign happened in 2024.
Transport
Q9. TfL announced the removal of which bus route, citing Putney congestion?
Answer: The 424
TfL has proposed axing the 424 bus as part of its service changes, with congestion around Putney cited as a factor affecting reliability.
Q10. A woman was killed at a crossing near East Putney station. How many months later were new safety signals finally installed?
Answer: Seven months
Despite urgent calls for safety improvements after the tragedy, it took seven months for new signals to be installed at the crossing.
Council & Politics
Q11. The Chief Inspector of Prisons called Wandsworth Prison “a pit of deaths, drugs and…” what?
Answer: Despair
The damning inspection report used this memorable phrase to describe conditions at the Victorian prison, which has faced repeated scandals – including a guard jailed for having sex with inmates.
Q12. Nnena Kalu made history in 2025. What did she become?
Answer: First learning-disabled artist to win the Turner Prize
Kalu, whose artistic career began at a Wandsworth studio, became the first learning-disabled artist to win Britain’s most prestigious art prize.
Q13. Wandsworth was named London Borough of Culture 2025. Which part of the borough was left out of the official celebration events list?
Answer: Putney
Putney.news revealed that the Borough of Culture programme contained almost no events in Putney – the area was effectively forgotten in the celebrations.
Q14. How many new deputy cabinet member positions were unexpectedly created in May, each with a £9,314 additional salary?
Answer: Five
Five new deputy cabinet positions were created, adding £46,570 to the council’s annual salary bill.
Q15. Council leader Simon Hogg won an internal Labour leadership election in late April after how many votes shifted in his favour?
Answer: 5 votes
The result was 21 votes for Hogg to 13 for his ward colleague Kate Stock – meaning just 5 people voting differently would have changed the outcome.
A Year of Local Journalism
These 15 questions represent just a fraction of what we covered in 2025. From holding the council to account over the junction disaster, to celebrating local achievements like Nnena Kalu’s historic Turner Prize win, independent local journalism matters.
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The Big Putney Quiz 2025 was published on Saturday 27 December. All questions are based on stories reported by Putney.news throughout 2025.