Halifax speakers sweep the board at regional finals

Kathryn Loftus from Hebden Bridge was a worthy winner of the trophy for Best Speaker with an eight-minute presentation about emojis entitled 'The Curious Monocle".

Her witty observations about the origins and dangers of these little symbols had the audience chuckling and delighted the judges.

Jan Millar from Brighouse gave a funny and spirited three minute spontaneous topic on "Space", putting a more positive spin on our recent lock downs and her emergence as a new woman. This original interpretation won her the Topics trophy.

Anne Todd from Sowerby Bridge won the Evaluation trophy with a six- minute analysis of a new speech on the unexpected outcomes of being a vaccination marshall during the pandemic. The judges liked her clear and structured approach and helpful suggestions for improvement, along with humour rarely found in evaluations.

Halifax and Huddersfield President, Abdul Ghafoor said he was "absolutely delighted with the results and very proud of all three speakers who are such a credit to our club".

All three contestants will now go forward to represent the North Eastern Region in the National Finals in St Anne's on April 29-30.