Balmoral Show 2015 – Homeskills & Handcrafts Competitions
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!
Winner of ‘Best In Show Floral Art’ – created by Marie Cairns of Glenanne WI
Competition items inside the WI marquee
Beautiful floral art displays
Tasty treats in one of the cookery classes
Pretty entries in one of the Children’s classes for ‘Handmade Brooch (any medium)’
Colourful entries in the Craft section for class 2 ‘Child’s Crochet Hat’