IT is testament to the strength of Malvern Speakers Club that when several of the principals for its latest meeting, including two main speakers, fell out at the last moment due to seasonal bugs, replacements were found in a matter of hours. Not only that, but the four speakers who took part ensured that it was probably one of the best meetings in the club's 18-month history.

Hazel Robinson's warm-up 'table topics' session put half a dozen of those present in the tricky position of having to explain in a couple of minutes, at a moment's notice, how they had last used such random items as a feather boa, a '20s cigarette holder or a wideawake hat. This got the meeting off to a predictably entertaining start, with the winning speech coming from a non-member attending his first meeting. Christian Saguyan, a Philipino student at West Malvern's Regents College, described touchingly how borrowing his father's bow tie had magically given him the courage to ask a girl to dance with him at their school prom!

Among the main speeches, Tim Stavert considered the subject of panic shopping typified by people's reaction to changes in petrol prices, winter weather and 'Black Friday'. Sarah Colloby, recently moved to Worcester, gave a well-researched account of its most famous product, Lea & Perrins sauce, and the many philanthropic acts – many in Malvern - of the heir to the firm C.W Dyson Perrins. Next up was Catalina Thiersen, who thrilled and scared her audience in equal measure with a polished – and very topical - presentation on diet and health.

Finally Dave Bradley, in a speech prepared in just a couple of hours, confused us all by demonstrating – extremely unsuccessfully but highly entertainingly - what a simple game cricket is! Amanda Duncan's appreciative assessment of Dave's beguiling balderdash was adjudged the evening's Best Evaluation while the vote for Best Speech went to Catalina.

The club's next meeting will take place at the Great Malvern Hotel at 7.30pm on Tuesday January 27.

COLIN JACKSON