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03 August 2015

WI COMPETITION

(photo courtesy of winningways.org.uk)

At the risk of boring you I’m going to talk about the latest event at my WI. I look at it this way ... if I can’t brag on the blog where can I sound off about what I consider is an achievement?

This is all about The Walmley Cup, a competition created in an effort to stimulate interest in something new, starting small and hopefully building into something big and beautiful. This month was the first.



There are three institutes in the district, all meeting in the same hall on different dates. My institute owns the hall and the other two pay rent on a monthly basis.  All the groups have been in existence for a good many years but mine is the oldest at 83 years.

The first competition was a learning curve so we organised it on a small scale to see if it would be accepted by the members. We chose five categories: flower arrangement, knitted draught excluder, favourite photograph, and two cooking entries namely a Victoria sponge and cheese scones. Surprisingly there were 27 entries overall. Not bad considering we only have 28 members. Of course, some entered more than one category but it was still a good effort considering all the years when no craftwork was done and no competitions entered. As you can see, I took a few photographs, but didn't get one of the delicious looking cheese scones.  
 
Judge remarking on the first Victoria Sponge

We invited two from each WI to act as judges. They’re not qualified as such but they’re old enough and wise enough to know what to look for in the entries. They were as impressed as I was with the turnout and did a great job with dedication and good humour. All of them expressed a desire to extend the competition to include their institutes ... I hope this will be possible.



It was my idea to start the Walmley Cup and as organiser I was delighted with the response. I foresee great things in the future, not just for my institute but all three that share our hall.

(Guess the winning draught excluder)


11 comments:

  1. I will judge the buns and cakes next time and try not to bite off more than I can chew!!

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  2. The Victoria sponge looks very delicious, even from far away. :) I invite you to share your post at my new photo meme that I have started just now on my blog. Link is down below. Thanks!

    Mersad
    Mersad Donko Photography

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  3. Oh my, one slice of Victoria Sponge please :)

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  4. Believe it or not I like making flower arrangements....:)

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  5. " if I can’t brag on the blog where can I sound off about what I consider is an achievement?"

    You are absolutely right, Valerie! And I applaud you for this awesome achievement! Doesn't it feel great to take a risk and try something new, and then have it be a success? I bet the other ladies are very pleased in having you as their president!

    Yummy! Those Victoria sponges look sooooo delicious! And was the winning drought excluder the colorful caterpillar? Love it!

    Congrats on a job well down, dear lady!

    Have a super week!
    X to you and Joe

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  6. Good morning, Ron. Yes, it felt great. I had been very nervous over the new venture so it was a huge relief that it went well. The sponges were delicious... they were shared out afterwards and they went very well with the coffee.

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  7. Denise... only one, or did you mean one of each? LOL

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  8. TB, I envy you. I can't arrange flowers the way they should be done.

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  9. I know you were a little concerned about the level of participation at one time, and this seems like a brilliant solution. Talking of Victoria sponges, we learned to make them at school but I have not done so since. the people in our local Marks and Spencer food hall were giving free samples the other day and I remembered how delicious they are. It probably won't do me any good to make one, but I am going to now!
    I have always wondered, by the way, what happens to these wonderful cakes after they have been judged. Do the judges eat them or do their makers take them home to their waiting families??

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  10. Jenny, as you commented I have more faith in the future than I did before. As for the sponges, they were cut up for afternoon tea at the WI hall, with permission, of course. The scones, however, were taken to participants homes for husbands to try ... and I don't blame them. Good luck with the baking.

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