Saltersgate pupils compete to wow councillors with their jokes
Ward councillors Stephen Curran, Colin Cassidy and Margot Russell agreed judging Saltersgate School’s joke competition on Comic Relief's Red Nose Day was “great fun and a real honour”. The three ward councillors might not always agree on council policy but when it came to choosing a winner, they were unanimous.
Runaway winner
Councillor Russell said: “Leon’s joke was really good and his delivery made it even better. In fact, all the pupils did a fantastic job. It was great fun and a real honour to be on the judging panel.”
National initiative
Around 30 Saltersgate pupils entertained the panel with their wit as part of VoiceBox, a fun initiative run by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists to raise awareness of the importance of having good communication skills.
Jokes galore
Among the best jokes were ‘What’s a crocodile’s favourite game? Snap!’ and ‘Why was the strawberry crying? Because its family was in a jam’. However, the top prize went to P7 pupil Leon, who wowed the judges with his joke, ‘What do you call a donkey with three legs? Wonky!’
Success for Leon
Leon said he was really pleased to win. He has lots of jokes but the donkey one is his favourite.
Thanked the judges
Kim Darling, the Deputy Head for the primary department at Saltersgate School, thanked the three local ward councillors for sitting on the judging panel. She added: “Your attendance at our school’s VoiceBox competition has had a huge impact on the success of our event, while raising awareness of an important cause.”
Improving learning and wellbeing
The Deputy Head added: “Throughout our school, there are children and young people who need support with communication. By improving children’s communication, we can improve their learning, wellbeing and future life choices.”
National final
There will be up to 32 national finalists (one from each local authority area). If Saltersgate is chosen to represent Midlothian Council, Leon will attend the national final in the Scottish Parliament on 5 June 2025.
More information
In the picture
Leon is pictured with Cllr Stephen Curran on the left, Cllr Margot Russell and Cllr Colin Cassidy on the right.