ALL human life is here - the motto of the now defunct News of the World - would suit the Malvern Speakers club very well, to judge by the short impromptu Table Topic speeches at last week’s meeting.

Subjects ranged from a free night’s luxury b & b enjoyed following a storm at Edinburgh airport, a tea plantation in the Perthshire hills, problems getting an tape dispenser past US internal airport security, and West Highland midges, to a hilarious account of a head-over-heels skiing accident which won the evening’s prize for one of the club’s youngest members, student teacher Alice Crumpler, home in Malvern on holiday from university.

Sarah Colloby won the Best Speaker vote with a full-length speech about the sobering effects of her first speeding ticket – a remarkable achievement as she only composed the speech that day and had left her notes at home!

Other main speeches were a first-time ice-breaker confidently and charmingly delivered by Rosalind Graham, and a masterly exposition by club President Sarah Williams of the various roles and responsibilities of members at meetings.

One such role is that of Grammarian who comments on members’ use of language – good and bad – and also presents a word of the day to be worked into speeches.

Cate Cody, however, also went in for some role reversal, by successfully banning the use of a word for the evening. This was the dreaded F-word – the over-used and often mis-applied fantastic.

Next meeting will be at the Great Malvern Hotel at 7.30pm on Tuesday, July 22. It will feature humorous speech and table topic competitions, for which entries are invited – contact Sarah Colloby or Elaine Watt via the club website malvernspeakers.toastmasterclub.org.

COLIN JACKSON 01684 577604