IF you had been in Newbury Market Place on Saturday morning you might just have wandered past the next greatest orator since Sir Winston Churchill, or perhaps Martin Luther King, Jr.
Good eye contact, vocal variation, humour and fearlessness were all qualities being scrutinised by members of the Newbury Speakers Club as around 25 local people stood up to deliver a speech on matters close to their hearts - or simply to have a good old rant.
While some hoped to win over the crowds with the use of a prop, others at the Speak Out event, organised by the local speakers club in partnership with Newbury events manager, Caroline Paus, shakily clutched to their notes.
“They say our number one fear is speaking in public and it took a while for people to come on board,” said Mrs Paus.
But after their fears about heckles and jeers were allayed, several people agreed to step up to the mic.
Schoolchildren took part, including 13-year-old Melanie Desert, of The Downs School, Compton, who brought her ideas on how to stop energy waste in schools to the table and went on to become the winner of the youngsters at Speak Out.
Runner-up Laura Praill, aged 13, a pupil of St Bartholomew’s School, Newbury, used her speech to urge people to help “save the orang-utans”.
As she nervously awaited her turn, she explained why she chose the topic: “I’m very passionate about it and I like the animals, and I want to help save them and see if I can help and see if Newbury can help,” she said, with determination.
Winner of the adult speakers - discounting Newbury MP Richard Benyon and Newbury prospective parliamentary candidate David Rendel, as they were deemed by the judges to have had too much practice at speaking in public already - was Newbury Carnival project manager, Bryan Harper.
Mr Harper, of Essex Street, Newbury, spoke about the carnival and “all that is good about our town”.
Mrs Paus praised him afterwards for his presentation and good eye contact.
In second place was the Rev. Paul Cowan, team vicar at St George’s Church, Newbury, for his speech on the church’s plans to “go green”, and in third place was Cherie Smallbones, of Newbury, a learning and development consultant who spoke about “the need in all of us and a new awakening of love, spirituality and giving”.
The president of Newbury Speakers Club, Tony Henderson-Newport, said of the event: “We couldn’t have done it if there wasn’t a collaboration between the Newbury Town Partnership, Newbury Events and Newbury Speakers Club. The thing that’s bound it all together is a willingness to create an opportunity to get things off their chest.”
He also thanked Newbury Building Society for sponsoring the event.

Click on the link below to view video footage and interviews from Speak Out.