Year 12 students are given the opportunity to participate in the prestigious Fiona Hill Oracy Award. This unique competition is funded by The Henry Smith’s Charity, which was set up to support young people in their first career steps. 

Students were required to create a short video, of themselves presenting an issue they felt needed to be publicised and discussed. It could have been anything on any scale, they just needed to feel passionately about it. Shortlisted students were required to put together a five minute presentation in front of judges Ian Mackenzie from The Henry Smith’s Charity and Nicholas Goudie. The judges were very impressed by the quality of the submissions.  

Charlie Liddell won the coveted first place with a prize fund of £250 – Charlie  talked about the human impact on the bird population in Britain. His passion, confidence and clarity was very notable. Runners up included Angela Howson and Teigan Weldon. Angela addressed the lack of political education in schools. Teigan felt moved to address the lack of support for the UK care system. They were both gifted £100 each. Well done to Ebony Burnside, Erin Urwin and Alex Guy who were the other entrants recognised, earning a £50 gift each for their enthusiasm on their chosen topic. 

The award places a clear focus on developing strong, effective communication and an opportunity to demonstrate passion for a chosen cause. The finalists all agree that it was a great opportunity to be able to enjoy the passion of speaking out on a subject close to their heart, whilst supporting UCAS statements and CVs.

Durham Sixth Form Centre would like to thank The Henry Smith’s Charity and their trustees for their support.