Dedication when it comes to exhibiting at the Fermanagh County Show can hardly come any greater than decorating your cupcakes while you wait for an operation in hospital.

That was the scenario for nine-year-old Jenny Little this week as she prepared to enter her home baking at this week's Show.

Jenny had an operation on a foot abscess on Monday evening but with the deadline for entries looming she knew she had to have them finished by Monday afternoon before she received a general anaesthetic.

So her mum, Joan brought all the ingredients and baking utensils to her hospital room at the South West Acute Hospital so she could decorate the cupcakes.

As she waited for her operation, Jenny amazed the nursing staff with her talent and no doubt will have plenty of orders for her home baking once she recovers from her operation.

Unfortunately Jenny was unable to attend the Show which finished yesterday (Wednesday) to see her amazing designs among the other splendid entries in the open cupcake class following her surgery. But her mum was delighted to be able to tell her that she had been placed third.

According to her mum, Jenny, a pupil at Enniskillen Model Primary School, and from Crannog View, Enniskillen, loves home baking but had also entered several other classes in the schoolchildren's section through her school. One of them was writing an essay on "The Magic Shoes." She was placed joint runner-up in that. She had also entered the writing class.The schoolchildren's section of the Fermanagh County Show this year attracted a record 3,500 entries. The best in each class went on display at the Exhibition Centre of Ulster Farmers' Mart during the Show.

For detailed results and reports on the Fermanagh County Show, see pages 55 - 67.