On Wednesday 27 April, Notley High School & Braintree Sixth Form had the pleasure of hosting the North Essex regional final of the Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge.

Having been successful for the last two years with winners in Scarlett Perrin and Dexan Charlery-Warner, there was certainly some pressure on our two representatives, Lucy Elliott and James Knock. The theatre was set up over the course of the afternoon and the guests started to arrive from 6pm. All of the speakers had been involved in a  workshop earlier on in the afternoon and were anxiously awaiting the start of the evening’s events.

Dexan Charlery-Warner was MC for the night and did a smashing job of introducing each of the finalists, adding in some comedy value. Scarlett Perrin was also one of the illustrious judges for the evening as well and knew just how Lucy and James were feeling. We were also entertained with musical performances from Sophie Norton and Mel Reeve, both who sang beautifully. As we listened to each of the speakers, the tension grew. First Lucy delivered a flawless speech and then it was James’ turn, the last speaker of the night. The judges completed their score cards and it was then for the big reveal.

We are absolutely delighted to announce that James Knock was crowned the winner! We now wait with baited breath to see whether he will be shortlisted from the 37 regional finals to go through to the grand final in London in July. Well done to both Lucy and James, an absolutely fantastic performance and achievement! 

Click here to see the gallery.

Click here to watch the speech. 

Mrs Sutton – Literacy Co-ordinator