A STEETON woman was pipped at the post for one of the awards at the Yorkshire Dales Area Speech Competition.

Sylvia Walker was among members of Skipton-based Craven Speakers Club who took part in the contest at Baildon Hall this month.

She ran a close second in the evaluation section of the event when she delivered her “very helpful” feedback on Sarah Daniels’s contribution, entitled Ghost Town and covering the current demise of Britain’s high street shops.

Abhay Nambiar, 14, from Skipton, the youngest member of Craven Speakers Club, won the competition overall with an impressive contribution entitled Say Yes to Technology, a subject to which his audience could well relate.