Public Speaking Competition for Young People – 2008
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The Colchester Royal Grammar School team were delighted with achieving the status of Winning Team at the BPW National Final of the Public Speaking Competition. This is the first time a team from the Colchester Club and London Anglia South East region has been successful. The team received the Dalton Trophy in memory of Delia Dalton a Past National President of Business and Professional Women UK Limited at this important annual event.
The competition has been jointly sponsored by a partnership between the English Speaking Board (ESB) and BPW UK Limited. This is the 4th year we have collaborated and both organisations regard the event as an important and prestigious opportunity for young people of between the ages of 15 and 18 years to gain valuable experience in the art of public speaking.
The Musgrave Centre at Moreton Hall School in Oswestry, Shropshire provided the perfect setting for the competition held on Saturday 29 March 2008. Teams from five regions across the UK took part, bringing teachers, friends and family to support them, and of course BPW members were there to support their regional teams.
In addition BPW was delighted to welcome special guests, Sir Neville and Lady Margaret Simms. Sir Neville is the son of Anne Simms one of our oldest BPW members from Poole, Dorset. Anne has been a dedicated member of BPW for over 64 years and throughout her membership has been a passionate supporter of the Public Speaking Competition in various locations across the UK.
Anne successfully organised and ran many BPW competitions in the Poole area, persuading Sir Neville to sponsor first the local then the national event through his company Tarmac and then Carillion. As members will be aware the Carillion Trophy is awarded to the Best Expresser of Thanks.
In honour of Anne’s dedication and commitment to BPW and especially the Public Speaking Competition it was decided that a Trophy would be awarded in Anne’s name, which Sir Neville kindly presented along with the Carillion Trophy.
The Awards
Changes have also been made to some of the other Trophies to more accurately reflect the organisational structure of BPW UK. The Trophies awarded at the competition by BPW National President, Nikki Bennett-Willetts and Sir Neville Simms are outlined below:
The Dalton Trophy – for the Winning Team went to Colchester Royal Grammar School, Colchester, Essex
The Anne Simms Trophy – for the Runners Up Team was awarded to the Sullivan Upper School, Co. Down, Northern Ireland
The Elizabeth Peacock Cup - awarded at the discretion of the Judges was presented to Tom Pye for his most entertaining and enlightening talk
The Northern Ireland Trophy – for the Best Chairman went to Aimee Price from Sullivan Upper School, Co. Down
The London Anglia South East – LASE – Trophy for the Best Speaker was awarded to Theo Boardman-Pretty from Colchester Royal Grammar School, Essex
The Carillion Trophy – for the Best Expresser of Thanks went to Victoria Mason from Sullivan Upper School, Co. Down
The range of topics was varied and stimulating and participants were congratulated for the hard work they had clearly undertaken in research and the passion shown for their chosen subjects. The topics were:
- “We Must Reduce Air Traffic” – Colchester Royal Grammar School, Essex
- “Education Is What You Remember When You Have Forgotten Everything Else” – King Edward VI College, Nuneaton, Warwickshire
- “Slave For Fashion” – Sullivan Upper School, Co Down
- “The Pursuit Of Happiness” – Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Blackburn
- “She Was Only Practising” – Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Bristol
The Judges who had the difficult and unenviable task of deciding the results were:
Lynn Pertoldi – BPW and Chair
Marina Jones – ESB Examiner
Elaine Weymouth - BPW
As with all these events, a great deal of hard work and organising takes place behind the scenes for everything to run smoothly throughout the competition. A special thanks was given to ESB Executive Meriel Halsall-Williams of Moreton Hall for her hard work and ongoing support and to BPW’s Annette Jones, Public Speaking Co-ordinator, who works tirelessly to make this event so successful.
Thanks were also given by Nikki Bennett-Willetts to Sue Simpson, Training and Development Director, for her hard work in raising the profile of this competition, and for achieving sponsorship for the local competition run by BPW Norwich.
