A ROTARY club has helped pupils at two schools in Yate and Chipping Sodbury overcome their nerves and take to the stage in a public speaking competition.

Aspiring orators were given a glimpse of the excitement of delivering a speech during the Youth Speaks contest held at Chipping Sodbury School on Wednesday, December 4.

Three teams of three, made up of Year 8 pupils from both schools, competed in event which was watched by an audience of 35.

The teams each picked their own subjects and collated material to discuss, with help from mentors provided by Chipping Sodbury Rotary Club which organised the competition.

John Berridge, a member of the club’s youth services committee, said: “The youngsters taking part were a credit to themselves and surpassed my expectations.

“The reason we as a club got involved was because these are a fairly critical range of skills – the ability to communicate and get yourself across with a bit of conviction and clarity to be persuasive.

“We wanted to give children a bit of experience and some help and we hope it helps the schools too.”

Youth Speaks is a national Rotary initiative and the winning team, made up of Bethenie Carriaga, 12 and from Brimsham Green School, Stephanie Pick, 13 from Brimsham Green School, and Emma Doody, 12 and from Chipping Sodbury School, who discussed bullying will now go on to compete in the regional finals in Gloucester in February.

In second place were Ella Bryant and Lauren Mayhead, both 12 and from Brimsham Green School, and Max Hedges, 13 and from Chipping Sodbury School, for their talk on cyber-bullying. Neave Jones and Jess Pugh, both 12 and from Brimsham Green School, and Harry Braithwaite, 12 from Chipping Sodbury School, came third for their discussion of the benefits of learning a second language.