Speech and drama is alive and well in Huddersfield.
Efforts by Mrs Sunderland Festival organisers to widen participation by getting more state primary schools involved are paying dividends.
Now they hope that even more will think about taking part next year.
Yesterday the rooms around Huddersfield Town Hall were filled with the sound of confident young voices eloquently reading a variety of passages as the speech classes got underway.
Committee member Jenny Lockwood said: “We are really keen to reach a wider audience and are very pleased with the number and standard of entries this year.
“We have tried very hard to encourage more schools to participate and have had a particularly good response from Wooldale and Spring Grove schools.
“The adjudicator Stephen Owen is extremely good, injecting humour and putting the children at ease - almost like a workshop. This has made it fun, rather than daunting, for the children taking part.
“We really do feel that the ability to stand up and speak clearly in front of an audience gives children confidence.”
In September, the 2015 programme will be published at www.mrssunderlandfestival.com . Mrs Lockwood said that she would be “delighted” to visit local schools to help them get involved. Contact details are on the website.
RESULTS
Junior Musical Theatre -School Years 12 &13
1) Natasha Agarwal 2) Emily Peace 3) Phoebe Smith & Rebecca Carr
Unaccompanied Folk Song
1)Catie Sambrook 2) Megan-Rose Dobbins
Dialect Speaking - Open
1) Christine Godwin 2) Alan Walker 3) Carol Waters
Dialect Prose Writing
1) Carol Walker 2) Gerald Stead
Dialect Poem - Open
1)Christine Goodwin 2) Carol Waters 3) Joyce Rogers
Verse Speaking - School Year 4 and Under
10 Cecily Watkins 2) Rohan Green 3) Avani Olak
Prepared Reading - School Year 4 & Under
1) Mabel Vincent 2) Cecily Watkins 3) Melina Shillito
Verse Speaking - School Year 6 & Under
1) Millen Olak 2) Katie Proctor 3) Grace Garner
Prepared Reading - School Year 6 & Under
1) Grace Garner 2) Lydia Huby 3) Millen Olak
