20th Anniversary of the Public Speaking Competition
It was a delightful afternoon at the Midland Arden Region Public Speaking Competition in Bromsgrove. Georgie, who inaugurated the event 22 years ago, was thrilled to participate in celebrating the 20th anniversary by cutting the cake. Liz Every, President of Midland Arden Region, presented Georgie with not one, but two bouquets in recognition of her longstanding involvement.
The judging panel, consisting of Amanda and Trish from SI Kenilworth & District, alongside head judge Catherine Williamson from Leamington Spa Soroptimists, had a challenging task due to the high standard of speeches delivered by competitors aged between 14 and 18. Each participant demonstrated a commendable level of dedication and effort in their presentations, reflecting their commitment to the competition.
The winners were announced as follows:
3rd prize (£25) – Ella Bartlett from Stratford School
2nd prize (£75) – Evie Hodgetts from South Bromsgrove High School
1st prize (£150) – Aoife McNamara from Langley School, Solihull
Maureen Maguire, Immediate Past President of Soroptimists International, had the honour of presenting the prizes. Despite not securing a prize, Joe Brazenell from Kenilworth delivered a compelling speech emphasizing the importance of holding public figures to high standards, showcasing his dedication and potential for future success with the support of his family.
MC Val Clark expertly managed the event. Tony Archer and Steve Parkes handled the timekeeping. Overall, it was an inspiring and uplifting afternoon for all involved.
Public Speaking Competition 2023
Soroptimist International President, Maureen Maguire, presided at the 19th MAR Public Speaking Competition held at the Bromsgrove Methodist Centre. Georgie Larsen-Archer (SI Kenilworth) was delighted to welcome her and thanked Maureen for travelling all the way from Ireland especially to be there.
There were eleven candidates, all of whom had worked very hard to meet the challenge of preparing and delivering a speech on a topic chosen from a given selection.
Considering the fact that many adults would shrink from speaking to an audience, these young people all did themselves tremendous credit.
First place went to Olivia Harvey from Bromsgrove and sponsored by SI Bromsgrove. Olivia’s Mum clearly moved, came over to the judges after the decision and said,
“I am so proud of her, she has worked so hard for this. She isn’t an outgoing person usually and doing this has made all the difference to her self-confidence.”
Olivia Harvey from South Bromsgrove School and sponsored by SI Bromsgrove took the 1st place trophy and £150.
Fred Kinney from Alderbrook School and sponsored by SI Solihull took the 2nd place trophy and £75.
Jayan Luharia from Tudor Grange Academy and sponsored by SI Solihull won the 3rd place trophy and £25.
The first photo is of Maureen Maguire and Georgbie Larsen Archer. The second one is of the group of competitors with sponsors and the third one is of the winner Olivia Hardy
Public Speaking Competition 2019
On Saturday, March 16th 2019 MAR held their 17th Public Speaking Competition at the Crowne Plaza Solihull. The competition was of an extremely high standard.
1st prize of a Trophy and £150 went to Daphne Kaz. Sponsored by SI Stratford upon Avon
2nd Prize of a Trophy and £75 went to Maria McNamara Sponsored by SI Solihull
3rd Prize of a Trophy and £25 went to Hugh Jones Sponsored by SI Kidderminster
The Special Achievement trophy went to Megan Fletcher Sponsored by SI Coventry.
We were honoured to have with us the Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayoress of Solihull, Sue Williams our Federation President and many other Federation Officers.
Our grateful thanks go to the committee and fellow Soroptimists who enabled the day to be most successful.
Public Speaking Competition 2018
Saturday 17th March 2018, saw eleven inspirational entrants to the 16th Midland Arden Region Schools Public Speaking Competition. The event was held at Rugby Council Chamber.
1st Prize was awarded to Sinead McCall sponsored by SI Stratford whose chosen topic was Human Trafficking – Modern Day Slavery. How can we stop it?
2nd Prize went to Vanshika. Sponsored by SI Rugby Her chosen topic – Miracles do Happen.
3rd Prize was awarded to Tamanna Janjua sponsored by SI Solihull. Her chosen Topic – Human Trafficking – Modern Day Slavery. How can we stop it?
A special achievement award was given to Daud Ahmed sponsored by SI Coventry
All the candidates spoke most eloquently and were a joy to listen to.
Public Speaking Competition 2017
Midland Arden Region’s 15th Public Speaking Competition was held at the prestigious Birmingham Council Chamber on Saturday 25th March 2017.
To mark the 15th anniversary, we were honoured to have present Federation President Ann Hodgson, Past International President Ann Garvie, Past Federation Presidents Ann Dawson, Jenny Vince, Joan Smyth (who was present at our very 1st competition in 2003) and Su Roxburgh Midland Arden Region President.
Eleven young people, girls, and boys aged 14-18 yrs from Non-Fee Paying Schools across the Midland Arden Region took part.
1st prize of £150 plus the trophy went to Thomas Woodland, sponsored by SI Stratford upon Avon his chosen topic was “Have women’s rights gone too far”
2nd prize of £75 plus a trophy went to Jude Radley, sponsored by SI Leamington & Warwick, his chosen topic was “Migration how open should our doors be”.
3rd prize of £25 plus a trophy was awarded to Daniel Harrison, sponsored by SI Solihull & District. His chosen topic was “What does Brexit mean to young people?”
All our contestants were given a £25 book token from their sponsoring clubs.