The Rotary Club of Douglas celebrated the 65th year of its annual schools public speaking competition this week.

The event, for senior schools, was held on Monday (March 9) at King William’s College who were last year’s competition winners.

All senior schools in the island were invited to participate, with five of the six schools entering teams.

Pupils delivered speeches on a range of topics, including ‘Should under 15s be banned from social media?’ and ‘Man’s Best Friend!’, with presentations covering a variety of themes and perspectives.

The event was attended by the Lieutenant Governor Sir John Lorimer and Lady Lorimer, as well as the Minister for Education, Sport and Culture, Daphne Caine, Sarah Maltby MHK, and the Mayor of Douglas Steven Crellin.

Judith Ley served as master of ceremonies, while principal judge Anne Clarke provided feedback to each of the competitors following their speeches.

The winning team was Joseph Ridout and Maximus James from Queen Elizabeth II High School, whose presentation was titled ‘We all need more drama in our lives’.

The runners-up were Castle Rushen High School with the topic ‘eSports – sport, pastime or addiction?’ and King William’s College with ‘Welcome, Welcome’.

Mary Jane Falconer, chair of the Rotary Club of Douglas Youth Committee and chair of the panel of judges, commented: ‘I am yet again impressed by the high standard of delivery and entertainment value of the topics chosen by the competitors, who showed great courage and determination in their delivery.

‘It isn’t easy standing up in front of a large audience at the best of times, let alone when you are under 14 years old.

‘Everyone who entered this competition will remember this day in years to come.’

Alongside the winners’ trophy, the Rotary Club of Douglas awarded a prize of £750 to Queen Elizabeth II High School, while the Mayor of Douglas City Trophy was awarded to Emily Whitmore from St Ninian’s High School.