The 2026 Rotary Junior Youth Speaks Competition

The 2026 Rotary Junior Youth Speaks Competition, hosted at St. Mary’s School, brought together talented young speakers from local schools for an inspiring evening of confidence, creativity and communication. Organised in partnership with the Rotary Club of Gerrards Cross & Chalfont St Peter, the annual competition encourages pupils aged 9–11 to develop their public speaking skills, express their ideas clearly and grow in self-belief through teamwork and performance.

Audiences enjoyed a range of thoughtful and engaging speeches on topics including the importance of learning through failure, progress in women’s sport, choosing your own future and protecting endangered animals. Each team demonstrated clarity, expression, compelling content and even some light hearted humour, making the judges’ task a challenging one.

We extend our sincere thanks to the evening’s judges, Dr Ann Hall, Mr Marcus Lee and Mrs Pattie Wallington for generously giving their time and expertise, and to Professor Sam Salek for serving as Master of Ceremonies and sharing his valuable public speaking knowledge with our young speakers

We are also grateful to staff, participating schools and the Rotary Club for their support in creating such a meaningful opportunity for our young people. Congratulations to Thorpe House as the winning team, with St. Mary’s proudly named as runners-up.