National Tombola

Congratulations to Mrs Gladys Womble of Hartlepool who has been awarded the contract to run the UK's National Tombola.  The National Tombola, which raises funds for charities and local projects, will be televised on Saturday nights, right after the lottery, and players will stand a chance of winning anything from a bottle of wine or a box of dark chocolate liqueurs to a non-slip bath mat or a Victoria sponge baked by Mrs Collins from the corner shop.  Mrs Womble is confident that the Tombola will raise enough money in its first six months to pay for a new bandstand in the memorial gardens, with perhaps some left over to give the community centre a new lick of paint.  The government, however, appear to have set their sights a little higher, their spokesman making it clear that they expected this initiative to fund the National Health Service for the next five years.