Pupils' public speaking prize (From Gazette Series)

Pupils' public speaking prize

TOP public speakers from Wotton-under-edge and Dursley fought off top regional competition to take the prizes in a regional competition.

Teams from Katharine Lady Berkeley's School, Wotton, and Rednock School, Dursley, made a major impact during the district final a national Rotary public speaking competition last Thursday.

The competition covers schools from Hereford to Clevedon and stretches to Wiltshire and Chepstow but it was Katharine Lady Berkeley's and Rednock pupils who took the prizes.

Presentations covered a wide range of subjects and pupils also had to carefully research their topics to enable them to answer questions on their subject.

The Katharine Lady Berkeley's team consisted of Sophie Grimes, Jenny Jones and Laura Trew and the Rednock team were Rose Chard, Sammie Cooper and Rebecca Halford.

The Katharine Lady Berkeley's team's topic was women should have equality with men and included arguments that inequality should be nullified in the fields of sports, industry and politics.

Judges congratulated the team and the individuals on the way in which the speech had been developed and on the quality of their presentation.

Laughter formed the basis of the Rednock presentation - demonstrating the effect of laughter in raising spirits and making people feel better.

The novelty of the presentation and competence of the individuals was highly praised by the judges.

Katharine Lady Berkeley pupils the first from Harriet Dudbridge, Rachel O'Hare and Sarah Galt also argued the topic the jury system should not be abolished and Joe Dalgliesh, Anna Pasco and Rachel Robinson proposed higher earners should pay higher taxes.

Cotswold Tyndale Rotary club sponsored the event. Spokesman Ed Gillett said: "We have been most impressed by the exceptionally high level of ability shown by the pupils.

"It is a tribute to their teachers and to the hard work that the pupils themselves have put in that they have achieved such competence. We wish the teams every success in the regional finals."

The two winning teams will travel to Wolverhampton for the regional final next Saturday.