The day the Rev. Kate Bottley had us howling...

...with laughter

It never sounds inviting, going for lunch with hundreds of women in an echoey hall on the other side of town, a hall with little fresh air and even less elbow room. And yet that is what we did yesterday and I have to say it was well worth the effort.

We were at the Annual LOROS Ladies Luncheon at Leicester's Winstanley House Hotel. LOROS is Leicester's hospice. Together with a group of friends I've been to quite a few of their events. The hospice has a special place in our hearts, especially after they took such care of a dear friend in her last weeks. They do it with warmth and compassion. It's a great shame that they've had to close part of the hospice due to lack of funding so this annual event is really important for them. 

It was a lovely day which began with a stroll round the statutory myriad of stalls selling everything from jewellery to paintings of jungle animals, but what made the day extra special was the guest speaker. They've had some cracking good speakers in the past but this year's was truly phenomenal. I've been to many dinners with guest speakers but this was the first time the speaker visited every table during the lunch - and there were a lot of tables. After lunch we were treated to an hour of hilarity, with anecdotes of warmth, humour, even some tinged with sadness. The Rev. Kate Bottley didn't hold back. From her first step onto the stage she had us hanging on her every word. When she finally finished her talk she whipped off her shoes, declared her feet were killing her and left the stage to ear-busting applause.

What an event and well done to Kate Bottley.

The Rev in full flow