The final competition of 2017 came with a twist at the Christmas party meeting of Bognor Regis WI. Instead of the usual entries being brought to and judged at the meeting, each table grouping were asked to choose and pop a balloon in which, in a shower of festive confetti, was found a title – either naughty or nice.  Members and visitors then had five minutes to ponder, discuss and select the best idea which met the brief for presentation to the meeting.

Amongst a good deal of hilarity, we heard a ‘naughty’ joke, learned about a worst date, a meeting with a famous person, a best holiday, a worst job (this one cleverly recited in rhyme), a highest achievement, an embarrassing moment, a favourite pet and a ‘nice’ joke.

Having voted by show of hands on the best story, the three winners were announced. In third place was the best holiday with Chris Hunter recalling a holiday spent with her mother, taking her to Rome to see the Pope. Having arrived early to get pole position in front of the balcony, Chris and her mother became increasingly puzzled by his non-appearance, only to turn round to find the crowd facing elsewhere – wrong balcony!!

Second place was taken by the table who were asked to recount a meeting with a famous person and June Salter told the members and guests of her time as a district nurse, one time being sent to Selsey to see an elderly lady.  While there she bumped into the lady’s son winding the clocks while in his pyjamas. The son was, of course, the brilliant and eccentric Patrick Moore.

In first place, Anne Winter gave us lots of laughs when she remembered a time when one of her children brought home the school stick insects. While many of us will have felt the fear of having the school pet dying while in our care, Anne’s problem was rather different; the number of stick insects kept growing and growing. It was then that the lid was accidentally left off………

Anne’s story of trying to retrieve them all had the room in stitches.

Each member on the winning tables was given the appropriate points and these were added to all the other points gained during the year and by the narrowest of margins an overall winner of the Competition Cup emerged.  And the winner and runners up of the Competition Cup (drum roll) are…… TO BE ANNOUNCED AT THE JANUARY MEETING!

A big thank you to Katie for dreaming up and implementing such interesting and imaginative challenges during the year and for those members who did not enter this year, entering could be one of your New Year resolutions for 2018.  January’s competition is ‘Recycled Christmas’  – thinking caps on.

Words: Gina Fitch-Roy

Photo: Katie Lyne