Lickey WI's first meeting of the New Year was held at the parish hall on Tuesday, January 6.

Vice-president Mary Rollason conducted the business meeting during which three dates were announced for outings to different venues later in the year.

The first match of the inter-WI skittles tournament will take place on February 2.

The speaker for the evening was Patrick Baird, of Redditch, who gave a talk entitled Comic Capers. He covered entertainers who hailed from Birmingham or who had begun their careers there, spanning over 100 years of comedy. His talk was illustrated with recordings from different performers over the period.

Patrick was thanked by Jenny Ryder, on behalf of the WI, for reminding members of some of the great British comedians and explaining their Birmingham connections.

Raffle winners were Ethel Scott, Sue Mayne and Olive Lea. The competition for A Clown was won by Pat Scofield. At the next meeting, on Tuesday, February 3, George Hook will talk about pearl button making. The competition will be for An Unusual Button.