English: Bridmore Public Speaking Contest 2019
2019 has proved to be a bumper year for the long standing Bridmore Public Speaking competition. The Junior competition took place in the morning and it was a delight to listen to, The eventual overall winner, Anthony AC, delivered a memorable talk on snakes, engaging the audience fully with aplomb and style. 
The Senior Bridmore was possibly the best I have witnessed in the last four years. The standard increases year on year and the range of topics and the mature delivery of each and every contestant was remarkable.
The evening got off to a super start as Zak H took the stage and spoke with great humour and confidence on the topic of teachers being replaced by computers. Henry G argued the case for avoiding palm oil with determination. Everyone was impressed by Amelia B’s informative talk on local animal poaching. Indy J spoke with incredible confidence and maturity on animal testing. I think everyone in the audience was moved by Amy F’s plea to stop human trafficking. Freddie S spoke like a future M.P. on conservation. His style was wonderfully conversational. Badger Culling, a controversial subject, was handled with great care and sensitivity by Siegfred J. Bella W held our attention as she explained the appalling refugee crisis in the world. Rory McG’s talk on the subject of deforestation was intelligent, well researched and very forceful. Two Spanish boys gave a fabulous account of themselves. Nico GE spoke with great passion and urgency on the topic of single use plastics and Jamie G impressed on all of us the importance of having a pet. To deliver such high calibre speeches in their second language was a remarkable achievement. James F held the whole audience in the palm of his hand as he calmly yet forcefully warned us of the dangers of global warming. I have heard many, many talks on this subject, but James managed to inject new life and relevance into the topic and it was a performance and talk that will live long in the memory. Jeevan M ended the evening with an incredibly moving and personal talk on International Adoption. It was a life affirming speech which went straight to everyone’s heart. A brave choice and a marvellous way to end the evening.
Our judge, Mrs Fremont-Barnes, Head of Milton Abbey and English specialist, was faced with a very difficult choice. She addressed each pupil’s talk individually and spoke about how impressed she was by each and every contestant. The winner in Year 7 was Rory McG and in Year 8, Jeevan M. The overall Senior Bridmore prize went to James F. Amelia B received a special award for her performance.
The whole audience was regally entertained by a quite remarkable set of talks. They were all winners in my eyes and the school can be duly proud of each and every one of them.
Public Speaking is not only alive and well at Sandroyd, it is thriving!
Keith Bradbury
