By Judith Phillips, Reporter

In the not inconsiderable number of years I've been in journalism I've dealt with my fair share of humorous and even downright ridiculous stories, but one I wrote for last week's Weekly News has to take the biscuit.

If I were a comedy scriptwriter I couldn't have come up with a more absurd scenario than the one in which members of Llandudno Rugby Club were told they couldn't have insurance cover for children to ride donkeys in their 40th annual donkey derby.

For the previous 39 years the club has run the event on Bodafon Fields with not an injury to show between the dozens of youngsters who have successfully piloted some of the resort's placid and well trained beach donkeys along an undemanding 80 metre course at little more than a trot, and in most cases a brisk walking pace. The youngsters are provided with safety helmets, and the trained first aiders of the St John Ambulance are on hand to deal with any accidents should they occur. This year the club also undertook to ask parents or guardians to sign waiver forms declaring they wouldn't make a claim for injuries incurred, but all to no avail.

The event's insurers decided in their wisdom not to give cover for this innocuous event which provides a bit of harmless enjoyment for the children taking part and the crowds who turn up to watch them. The result was that spectators were confronted by the absurd, albeit rather amusing spectacle of inflatable toy animals "riding" the donkeys.

As organiser Brian Bertola, a retired PE teacher and deputy headmaster, commented: "It seems the compensation culture has spread to our fun day. Where is this going to end? We've already had children banned from playing conkers in the playground and now this. Children are going to grow up not able to experience a little bit of adventure and where will that leave our society?"

I'm pleased to say the Weekly News was the first with this story, which was quickly picked up by national newspapers, TV and and radio, and hopefully we have helped provoke a debate which might bring a little bit of sanity back into some of the more ludicrous decisions being taken under the umbrella of so-called health and safety.

On a positive note, the rugby club has now received advice from an insurance expert that they may well be able to get cover for next year's event, so perhaps we will be saved the absurdity of seeing a race being won by a large inflatable orangutang strapped to the saddle of a rather bewildered looking donkey in 2008?

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