Worksop: Young comedian had audience ‘in stitches’ at Westminster joke-telling competition

Alex Horne, 11, had the audience and judging panel ‘in stitches’ when he took part in the grand final of a national joke-telling competition at Speaker’s House in Westminster.

The Voice Box competition, a joint initiative by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists and The Communication Trust, is a children’s joke contest designed to raise awareness of the importance of communication.

Alex, who attends Dawn House School in Notts, delighted the judging panel with: “Two cows were standing in a field. One cow said to the other, ‘Are you worried about this Mad Cow Disease?’ ‘Baa!!’ said the other cow!”

Alex said: “I’m having a really good day.”

MP for Bassetlaw, John Mann, who was in the audience to cheer Alex on, said: “I was delighted to support Alex at the Voice Box final, which has raised awareness of the importance of communication in a fun and inclusive way.”

“Communication is a basic human right, and every child should be supported with these fundamental skills to ensure they reach their full potential.”

Comedian Lee Mack, who sat on the judging panel, said: “It was great to meet the kids and judge the Voice Box final at the Houses of Parliament. I was expecting tears and tantrums but luckily all the MPs were very well behaved.”

“I was pleased to see such an important and worthwhile cause as communication needs given a platform at Westminster- I definitely think my job is under threat by this new wave of comedians.”

CEO of the Royal College of Speech, Kamini Gadhok said: “The aim of Voice Box is to remind people that in every classroom there are children who need support.”

“We are very pleased that Westminster provided a platform to support this important issue. It’s been a brilliant day and the children have been inspiring.”