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Six students from Laurus Cheadle Hulme (LCH) are set to compete in the District Finals of the Rotary Youth Speaks competition after winning both the Intermediate and Senior categories in the District Heats.

The Youth Speaks public speaking competition is run by the Rotary Club and provides a platform for young people to develop their speaking skills, grow their confidence and share their opinions.

The 2024 competition is the largest yet, with 72 teams from 38 schools sponsored by 25 Rotary Clubs. The competition has 3 tiers, District Heats, District Finals and Grand Final.

Two teams represented LCH in the District Heats in Warrington, the Intermediate team was made up of Dua, Molly and Aneesa from Years 8-9, and the Senior team was made up of Brandon, Jack and Charis from Year 10.

Both teams have been practising for the past few months, and also had the chance to rehearse their speeches with our sponsors from the Rotary Club of Cheadle Royal.

As the day of the competition arrived, students had to deliver their speeches in front of a large crowd of judges, parents, carers, students and visitors from other schools.

The Intermediate team won first place with an incredibly moving and thoughtful speech on the difficulties of living with Autism and ADHD.

Delivering a passionate speech on the shocking realities of teenage vaping, the Senior team also secured LCH first place in their category.

Both teams of students stood out as being incredibly well-prepared and confident, and were commended for how articulately they answered the questions they were given.

They will now progress to the District Finals on Monday 11th March, where they will compete against the winning students from the other District Heats.

We’d like to congratulate the students involved for their articulate speeches and wish both teams the best of luck in the District Finals!

On Tuesday 6th February, eight student leaders from Laurus Cheadle Hulme participated in Stockport’s first ever L!STEN Youth Summit, where they had the opportunity to share their views on various topics that affect them and their community.

The summit, which took place at Stockport Town Hall, was attended by student representatives from every secondary school and college in Stockport!

The L!STEN Youth Summit was planned by the L!STEN steering group, supported by Stockport Council and PIE UK (Pursuing Individual Excellence), a social enterprise based in Stockport that works with young leaders of the future.

It aimed to engage young people in considering the future of Stockport and the council’s One Future plan by getting their views heard and allowing them to participate in a range of workshops

Over 100 students took part in discussions on different areas of society, which included Healthcare, Housing of the Future, Neighbourhoods, Growing up in Stockport and Transport.

Mark Hunter, Leader of Stockport Council, also addressed the audience and praised the students for their enthusiasm and input.

The students also had the chance to ask questions to some of the most influential figures from Stockport, such as:

• Karen Hames – the Chief Executive of the Stockport Foundation Trust for the NHS
• Aba Graham – Stockport Race Equality Partnership
• Rachel Harrison – Chief Superintendent from Stockport Police
• Steve Oliver – Chief Executive Office of Music Magpie (based in Stockport) and Chair of the Economic Alliance
• Caroline Simpson – Chief Executive of Stockport Council

At the end of the event, all students made pledges of how they will contribute to Stockport, continuing its journey to becoming a fantastic place.

Congratulations to all the students who took part in this amazing event!