(0:03) I never won anything at school, though not for the want of trying. (0:07) One year, our teacher decided to enter our class in the National Schools Quiz. (0:12) I didn’t think we’d do that well, but we won a few rounds and everyone got really excited, thinking we could go on to win the final.

(0:20) Things started getting serious with special training sessions after school. (0:24) And it was fun to start with, but it became a bit boring at the end. (0:28) We had to travel around the country to compete with other schools.

(0:31) And then the big day arrived. (0:34) When having won all the regional competitions, we were in the final. (0:38) Everybody was there, parents, teachers and classmates, expecting us to be crowned champions, but it wasn’t to be.

(0:45) It was close, but we lost and everyone was disappointed. (0:49) Although we got some money for our school supplies, which wasn’t all bad. 

(0:57) I’ve managed to keep away from sport for most of my life, and the only thing I can remember winning were some tickets for a U2 concert on a radio call-in show. (1:07) I work in an office and we always have the radio on throughout the day, and any time they run a competition, we always phone in. (1:15) One time, in order to win, you had to be the fifth caller into the show and sing a particular song.

(1:21) Well, after a few frantic minutes of dialing like crazy, I got through, and I was a fifth caller. (1:27) And I knew the song, so I sang my heart out. (1:30) The presenter applauded, congratulated me and told me I had won two all-expenses-paid tickets to see U2 in London.

(1:39) We got to meet the band, had a great weekend, staying in a beautiful hotel, and when they said all-expenses-paid, they meant it.

(1:49) I work for a large American company, and they take the subject of employee bonding very seriously. (1:58) Every year, they organise a party, and the staff are encouraged to come in fancy dress. (2:04) A lot of my colleagues take this very seriously, because there are prizes at stake.

(2:10) They plan their outfits months in advance, and can get unhappy if anyone copies their idea. (2:16) There are prizes both for the best and the worst costumes, and I’m proud to say I’ve won a prize on several occasions, not for being the best, but the other one. (2:28) The prize they give is usually something like an adventure weekend, hiking, mountain climbing, rafting, and as I hate the outdoors and avoid any unnecessary physical activity, I don’t feel very lucky when I win.

(2:44) As part of the fundraising efforts in our town to raise enough money to renovate the community centre, the local town council helped arrange a weekend festival. (2:55) There was everything from homemade food to local musicians and street performers. (3:01) They also had a raffle, and first prize was a brand new car.

(3:06) They were selling tickets over the course of the weekend, and the winner would be announced at the closing show on the last day. (3:13) Well, my son, who insisted I buy him a ticket, had recently passed his driving test. (3:20) Finally, the last day arrived and everyone was waiting anxiously for the final draw.

(3:26) When they called out the final number and asked for the winner to step up, I didn’t move because I couldn’t move, I just kept looking at my ticket again and again to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. (3:37) But sure enough, I had won first prize. (3:41) I ended up giving my son my old car, while I drove around in my brand new one, and it only cost me £10.

(3:52) I was always good at sports when I was younger, which probably came from my parents, who are both champions. (3:58) My father threw the javelin for his country, and my mum was a tennis player, which is probably where I get my love of tennis from. (4:05) In fact, I was quite successful in tennis, with loads of trophies at home to show for it, although I was more successful in doubles than singles.

(4:14) Now that I’m quite a bit older, I still get a game in now and again at the local club, but doubles is what we play because it means less running around for everybody. (4:24) The club is great because I can go along and enjoy the atmosphere of competition, even though I may not be pushing for glory myself.

(0:05) The reason we have our current pet is because one of our last ones died. (0:10) We have a small aquarium for our daughter to look after, and she has about 12 fish. (0:14) And she has a name for each one.

(0:16) I think it’s something good to teach young children responsibility. (0:20) She has the responsibility of cleaning the tank and feeding them every day. (0:25) But they don’t have a very long lifespan, and she gets so upset every time one dies.

(0:29) It can be heartbreaking at times. (0:32) But I believe that taking care of pets is one of the best ways of teaching children to be responsible. (0:38) We always seem to be in and out of the pet shop.

(0:41) And when the last one died, sure enough, we went back there for another, and, of course, more decorations for the fish tank.

(0:53) I ended up with my pet, not by choice, but because I couldn’t say no. (0:58) My neighbor, who lives a couple of doors down, and who I get on very well with, had puppies, or rather his dog had puppies. (1:06) I know he didn’t want to keep them all, and that he had found homes for most of them.

(1:11) And I must admit, they were beautiful puppies. (1:14) One night, I was over visiting, and the dogs were running around. (1:18) And as I was playing with one of the puppies, he asked if I wanted one.

(1:22) As soon as he asked me, I knew he’d been waiting until the puppies were in front of me, and as soon as he asked me, I also knew I wasn’t going to say no. (1:33) My partner could have killed me, but he soon found himself like me, unable to resist the adorable little creature.

(1:43) I’d already been on the lookout for a dog. (1:46) I always had one growing up, and I was in my new house, and one of the first things I had to get was a new member for the household. (1:55) They’re such good friends to have, always beside you, up for whatever you want to do.

(2:01) So, after a bit of searching in the local area, and having a look at some breeding kennels I found online, I had pretty much figured out what kind of dog I wanted, until I saw one of those heart-breaking ads about dogs that had been abandoned or mistreated. (2:18) It touched me so much that I completely gave up looking for a particular breed. (2:22) I found out where the local pound was, and after a few minutes I found the most beautiful Labrador ever.

(2:30) It took some time for her to get used to me, as she’d been given up for adoption before, and for the first few months she was always a bit worried, I think.

 (2:41) I like pets, but we live in an apartment building, so we can’t really have any pets such as dogs, and my partner is allergic to cats, but our two little children begged us for months. (2:53) Some days we would be lucky and they might forget about the idea, but on other days if they saw anything on the television they would be back to asking.

(3:02) Well, everyone has their limits, and those kids certainly found ours, so for us to get some peace we went to the nearest pet shop, and after a lot of debating with the kids we finally settled on two turtles, which they named after themselves. (3:18) We thought it was quite funny at the time, so now we have two new happy members of the family. 

(3:26) I live in a nice part of the country just on the outskirts of the city, though not quite in the countryside, but there are some farms nearby. (3:36) I’ve heard recently that there have been some break-ins in the area, and since I spend a lot of time in the office I became a little concerned. (3:46) During the day my house is completely unoccupied for long periods of time, so I decided to get a guard dog for the house just to ward off any would-be intruders.

(3:57) Since then, however, we have become the best of friends. (4:01) I even try to finish work early just so I can come home and go out with the dog, and I don’t know if I have him to thank, but no one has ever tried to break into my house.