Laughter still the best medicine for retired health workers

Nancy has story telling in her blood, competing at speech and music festivals across the country from an early age. Her quirky stories take inspiration from many sources, including the vast resources of the internet which has opened up a huge range of material from different countries, that was previously unavailable to local storytellers.

As a member of Armoy Women's Institute, Nancy still competes and wins awards at local and national level. Amongst the stories she tells with 'dialect and actions' is one about teaching children by example, whereby the teacher demonstrated putting an earth worm into a glass of whiskey to see it shrivel up and die. She then asked the class: "What lesson do we learn from this?" One small boy put up his hand and said: "Drink whiskey and you will have no worms."

Causeway member Meta Cochrane thanked Nancy for a wonderful afternoon of entertainment of so varied and amusing stories.

The business of the AGM included the election of officers for the next year of office starting in September 2010, chaired by Regional Officer Bertie Thompson from Bangor . Officers elected were; Chairman Willa Robinson, Vice Chairman Kathleen Prasha, Treasurer Doreen Haliday, Secretary Barbara Clyde, Press officer Isobel Knox, Social Secretary Meta Cochrane, and Visitor Frances Morrison.

The next meeting is on Wednesday 14th April starting at 2.30pm in the Multi-discipline Education Centre, Causeway Hospital , Coleraine.

New members who have previously been employed by the NHS are warmly welcomed into the group. They meet once a month for different activities and social outings and form new friendships.

For more details of how to join, please contact secretary Kathleen Presha on 028 7034 4651.