Balmoral Show 2015 – Homeskills & Handcrafts Competitions

Posted May 21, 2015 by WI Staff in Event Reports

It was another successful year for the WI at Balmoral Show and the interior of the marquee looked beautiful, decorated with a vast array of colourful entries for the Homeskills and Handcrafts competitions. The Home & Garden Sub-Committee and the Homecraft Sub-Committee were delighted with this year’s entries in the Floral Art, Cookery and Craft classes. The Children’s class saw a big increase in entries this year and hopefully this will bear fruit in years to come! We are indebted to all who enter the competitions and support us at this event. Warmest congratulations to all the winners, the entries were all of an extremely high standard, giving the judges in each section a challenging task. Thank you to our generous sponsors, Hillmount Nursery, Gilnahirk; The Wool Shop, Newtownards and Dale Farm.

The results were judged as follows:

Floral Art Section

Class 1 – Arrangement in a Trio of Foil Cupcake Cases

1st – Marie Cairns, Glenanne WI

2nd – Elizabeth Connor, Garvagh WI

3rd – Hilary Beacom, Kesh WI

Class 2 – Minature Arrangement in an Egg Cup

1st – Elizabeth Connor, Garvagh WI

2nd – Babs Bassett, Ardglass WI

3rd – Cheryl Jess

Class 3 – Arrangement in a Straw Hat (not exceeding 45cm)

1st – Marie Cairns, Glenanne WI

2nd – Jean Sturgeon, Waringstown WI

3rd – Jeanette Graham, Portrush WI

Class 4 – Arrangement in a Kitchen Utensil (maximum 50cm)

1st – Cheryl Jess

2nd – Pat Hey, Kesh WI

3rd – Nuala McKnight

High Commended – Rhona Niblock, Crossgar WI

Class 5 – Flowering Plant in a Pot (not exceeding 15cm)

1st – Betty Holmes, Garvagh WI

2nd – Rhona Niblock, Crossgar WI

3rd – Lily Gabbie, Crossgar WI

Class 6 – Foliage Plant in a Pot (not exceeding 15cm)

1st – Elizabeth Bridgham, Straid WI

2nd – Betty Holmes, Garvagh WI

3rd – Betty Lyttle Portaferry WI

Other prestigious Floral Art awards presented were:

‘Best In Show Floral Art’ (Home & Garden Perpetual Trophy) – Marie Cairns, Glenanne WI

‘Institute Gaining The Most Overall Points In Floral Art Competitions’ (Home & Garden Shield) – Garvagh WI

Cookery Section

Class 1 – Marble Cake (baked in a 1lb tin)

1st – Margaret McCullough, Portrush WI

2nd – Betty Holmes, Garvagh WI

3rd – Beth McNally, Saintfield WI

Class 2 – Four Almond Fingers

1st – Joan Busby, Moneyrea WI

2nd – Ellen McKee, Crossgar WI

3rd – Joan Somerville, Moneyrea WI

Class 3 – ½ Decorated Coffee Cake (butter cream)

1st – Margaret McCullough, Portrush WI

2nd – Joan Agnew, Saintfield WI

3rd – Ann Harnett, Waringstown WI

Highly Commended – Una Meehan

Class 4 – Four German Biscuits

1st – Roberta McMullan, Portrush WI

2nd – Joan Busby, Moneyrea WI

3rd – Ellen McKee, Crossgar WI

High Commended – Elizabeth Moore, Saintfield WI

Class 5 – Jar of Sweet Mince (340grams)

1st – Pat Harrison, Richhill WI

2nd – Ruby Ferguson, Portaferry WI

3rd – Betty Holmes, Garvagh WI

Class 6 – Jar of Chilli Jam (340grams)

1st – Ellen McKee, Crossgar

2nd – Elizabeth Patterson, Broughshane WI

3rd – Barbara McGibben, Upper Finaghy WI

Crafts Section

Class 1 – Knitted Teddy Bear

1st – Jennifer Skelly, Moneyrea WI

2nd – Frances Hutchinson, Collone WI

3rd – Caroline Wiseman, Cullybackey WI

Class 2 – Child’s Crochet Hat

1st – Helen Patterson, Jerrettspass WI

2nd – Beth McNally, Saintfield WI

3rd – Jennifer Skelly, Moneyrea WI

Class 3 – Homemade Pin Cushion (any medium)

1st – Noreen Smith, Rathfriland WI

2nd – Rosemary Harbinson, Rathfriland WI

Class 4 – Cross Stitch Book Mark (open to members of the public only, not WI members)

1st – Rosalind Skelly

Children’s Section

Class 1 – Flowers in a Jam Jar

1st – Jayne Birch

2nd – Eve McAuley

3rd – Hilary Walsh

Class 2 – Three Butterfly Buns

Joint 1st – Killicomaine Junior High School & Joshua Brown

3rd – Anna Shepherd

Highly Commended – Patricia Bell

Highly Commended – Jayne Birch

Class 3 – Handmade Brooch (any medium)

1st – Patricia Bell

2nd – Campbell

3rd – Campbell

Congratulations to all the winners and to everyone who took the time and effort to enter. Your continued support is greatly appreciated, thank you all very much!