Pupils at Trinity School in Teignmouth wowed judges at the recent Rotary Club Junior Speaks competition.

All the judges commended the exceptionally high standard of research and delivery from the children taking part.

Teignmouth Rotary Club holds Junior Speaks competitions in several primary schools in the area. The Rotarians work with the schools to judge pupils’ presentations on a range of topics that the children have researched and developed.

At Trinity, pupils in Years 4 and 5 can choose any topic, while children in Year 6 research and speak about a charity of their choice.

Heats are held in each school before finalists are invited to an event where they present to family, friends and Rotarian judges.

‘It was almost impossible to select the winners, the standard was so high,’ said Teignmouth Rotary Club treasurer Peter Taylors.

Pupils in Year 4 and 5 spoke on a variety of subjects including: holiday adventures skiing, on safari and discovering the delights of Bude. One described the delights of Dubai. Another explained the importance of keeping young minds healthy. Others gave informative and well-illustrated talks about creatures including cats, ants and sea slugs.

The judges were impressed by the range of photographs, videos and pictures used as well as the daring backflip performed by one pupil to demonstrate the power of gymnastics.

In the Year 6 competition, pupils spoke about a variety of charities. The audience heard about the value and importance of Water Aid in developing countries, with some very impressive facts and figures. The delights of the South West Coast Path were vividly described. And the audience was moved by a first-hand family experience of the impact of the British Heart Foundation. Animals were strongly represented with illustrated talks on Guide Dogs, The Dogs Trust and the RSPCA, including the prop of a recently rescued dog.

After much deliberation the judges agreed on the following winners:

Year 4: Winner - James Shill for his enticing talk on Bude; Runner up - Sebastian Baxter for his interesting talk on the Big 5.

Year 5: Winner - Florence Foran for her talk on Ants, which was delivered animatedly and without notes; Runner up - Isobel Jones with her talk and demonstration of gymnastics.

Year 6: Winner- Mali Eykyn who spoke about Guide Dogs, including illustrations of the impact of a lack of sight; Runner up - Lucy Hughes who was accompanied by her Aunt’s rescue dog Lando, talking about the Dogs Trust

A special award, the Wedgewood Cup, was judged by the staff at Trinity and awarded to the most entertaining talk. This year it was won by Eliza Morgan who entertained and informed everyone about the importance of Water Aid in developing countries.

At the end of the evening, Teignmouth Rotary awarded a cheque for £100 to the charity of the school’s choice - Guide Dogs. The cheque was presented to Mali, on behalf of the school, by Peter Taylor, a Rotarian guide dog user. Peter commented that Mali’s talk had illustrated perfectly the help that his dog Vance gives him, increasing his independence enormously and enabling him to be an active Rotarian.