MORE than 75 members from WIs in the Worcester city area joined North Claines WI for the Autumn Group meeting.

Group co-ordinator Susan Oakley welcomed everyone, including Suzanne Owen and Wendy Booth from Worcestershire Federation.

Joan Wilde was congratulated on her beautiful flowers and table decorations and was also awarded the prize for the finest Halloween themed hat of the evening.

The guest speaker’s topic, An Unusual Job for a Lady, told Marion Canning’s story of her career as a member of the Guild of Toastmasters. Resplendent in her elegant uniform of bright red waistcoat and jacket she wore the official badge of a toastmaster.

Initially she had undergone rigorous testing before she was accepted for training and finally entrusted with orchestrating and managing many important events over the following years.

Marion had many interesting and some very funny tales to tell – how to get hundreds of people to sit down to dinner on time, dealing with problems encountered by speakers and even coping when the fire alarm was set off by flaming desserts.