Winter 11 Featuring: The Buckingham Palace Awards Ceremony ...

A quarterly publication from The English-Speaking Union 

Winter 11 

Featuring: 

The Buckingham Palace Awards Ceremony 

New Research into Debating 

A Year of Alumni Reunions 

7 

The English-Speaking Union

About the English-Speaking Union 

How to submit to dialogue 

The ESU brings together and empowers 

people of different languages and cultures. 

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communication, we give people the 

opportunity to realise their potential. 

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ESU support these objectives. 

Our vision is to provide people in the UK and 

internationally with communication skills, 

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We endeavour to see that the value of good 

communication as an essential attribute 

for individual, community and global 

development and understanding is publicly 

recognised and widely integrated into 

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© All material copyright ESU 

DIALOGUE 2

CREDITS 

Managing Editors 

Annette Fisher, Kate Bond, 

Martin Mulloy 

Editor 

Roberta Pearce 

Branches Editor 

Meriel Talbot 

Design 

The Click Design Consultants 

theclickdesign.com 

EDITORIAL 04 

Letter from the Chairman of the 

English-Speaking Union: 

Dame Mary Richardson_04 

A message from 

The Director-General: 

Peter Kyle_06 

FEATURES 

Awards Day at 

Buckingham Palace_08 

SSE Update and 

Thanksgiving Dinner_11 

Debating the Evidence 

Research Project_12 

PROGRAMMES 

07 

London Debate Challenge_14 

International Public Speaking 

Competition_14 

Discover Your Voice_15 

John Smith Memorial Mace_15 

Mooting Competition_16 

Debate Academy_17 

International Council Meeting_17 

Shakespeare Debate_18 

Schools Mace and Public 

Speaking Competition 

for Schools_19 

Summer Seminars_20 

13 

House of Lords Tea Party_21 

Music Scholarships_21 

Reform Club Debate_22 

Iceland Launch_23 

Middle East Arab 

Partnership Project_24 

International Delegations_24 

Diplomat Reception_25 

Speech & Debate Intern_25 

Japan Tour_26 

ALUMNI 

A Year of Reunions_30 

All Alumni Reunion_30 

29 

IPSC 30th Anniversary Dinner_31 

Young Alumni Reunion_32 

Lindemann Reunion_33 

Furness Feast/Harvard-Westlake 

Reunion_34 

SSE Scholarship 50th Anniversary 

Reunion_34 

If it Wasn’t for the ESU . . . !_35 

BRANCHES 

Branch reports_44 

Regional diary_55 

DIARY DATES 

43 

57 

DIALOGUE 3

Letter from the Chairman 

of the English-Speaking Union: 

Dame Mary Richardson 

I am writing this letter to you on the evening of 11 

November 2011 having spent the eleventh hour today at the 

Remembrance Service at The Royal Alexandra and Albert 

state boarding school. At that beautiful and moving 

occasion, young people, some in cadet uniform, read the 

long lists of former pupils who had fallen in two World 

Wars and in much more recent conflicts. 

It is on such occasions that one is once again filled with 

admiration for the vision of Evelyn Wrench, who in the last 

months of the first World War, set up an organisation 

through which ‘the use of English as a shared language’ 

would be a ‘means of international communication of 

knowledge and understanding.’ These idealistic aims for the 

organisation he named ‘The English-Speaking Union’, 

remain relevant and urgent in our own troubled world. 

At the recent Awards Ceremony in Buckingham Palace, 

HRH Prince Philip’s final event with the ESU, he spoke 

seriously to me about the organisation he clearly loves and 

has served for nearly 60 years. He stressed that the ESU is 

about friendship, both personal and between nations, and 

advised me to keep that focus clear. I was able to reassure 

him that I intend, with members’ help and support, to do 

so. We thank His Royal Highness for his dedication to The 

English-Speaking Union. His wisdom will be sorely missed. 

DIALOGUE 4

At HRH Prince Philip’s final event with 

the ESU, he spoke seriously to me about the 

organisation he clearly loves and has served for 

nearly 60 years. He stressed that the ESU 

is about friendship, both personal and between 

nations, and advised me to keep 

that focus clear. 

I am delighted that the election to the ESU board of 20 

Governors and three officers will be open and transparent 

and am grateful to the Secretary ESU, Professor Steve 

Hodkinson, for his hard work to ensure this and to Sir 

Robert Worcester for his oversight of procedures. The 

current system of elections of all Governors will produce 

many talents and gifts but may not produce every skill, or 

the right balance of skills, necessary to take forward the 

ESU at this time and to ensure sustainability for the future. 

For example, there was no nomination for a second 

Honorary Treasurer and in accordance with the Royal 

Charter, the board has to accept that critical vacancy and 

may not ‘headhunt’ an expert to fill that office. The review 

of the Royal Charter and Bye Laws is therefore necessary 

for this reason and for many other practical reasons. 

Members will be consulted. 

The current Royal Charter offers opportunities which we 

have not used in recent years. One such opportunity is for 

Governors to appoint up to four Vice Presidents who, the 

Bye Laws tell us, ‘shall be appointed annually by the Board 

of Governors and shall be eligible for re-appointment.’ 

There are no financial implications whatsoever to these 

appointments. 

As a late addendum to this letter, I am pleased to let you 

know that the Board of Governors approved the 

appointment of Lord Watson and Sir John Bond as Vice 

Presidents both of whom have given years of service to the 

ESU. At the same board meeting, Governors approved the 

criteria for appointing ESU Counsellors and these criteria 

may be read on the ESU’s website. 

Members should be reassured that the ESU is in good 

heart, with renewed confidence. The Board and the 

executive are focussed and moving forward securely and 

steadily. Dartmouth House is increasingly busy and is 

beginning to buzz. Some redecoration has been completed 

and the appearance is more welcoming and cheerful. 

Difficult decisions are being taken for the sustainability of 

the organisation. Once again my warmest thanks are due to 

members for their support, understanding and cooperation. 

May I wish you and yours a happy Christmas and a 

peaceful New Year. 

Dame Mary Richardson 

DIALOGUE 5

A MESSAGE FROM THE 

DIRECTOR-GENERAL: PETER KYLE 

During my first few months in post, I have taken the 

opportunity to visit a number of branches. In the months 

ahead, I intend to visit many more, as I want to understand 

the members’ perspective from your own locations as well as 

having a centralised view from Dartmouth House. The 

recent Branches Conference, held in Cheltenham, provided 

an excellent opportunity to meet members and to hear your 

views whilst, on a broader canvas, the extended family of 

the ESU met in Philadelphia in October for the 

International Council. 

One thing is crystal clear from my discussions thus far, but 

of course you already know this, which is that you, the 

members, care passionately about this organisation and 

want to see it flourish. You want to see more energy devoted 

to pursuing our charitable objectives and that is fortunate, 

because that is exactly want I want too and is precisely what 

we were set up to do under our Royal Charter. The Royal 

Charter has been put on the website so that you may refer 

to it and I shall very much appreciate your opinion of the 

programmes we currently offer and what we might do to 

improve them. 

The World Members’ Conference, to be held in Istanbul 

next September, will provide another opportunity for us to 

come together to celebrate our common endeavours and 

achievements and to challenge our own thinking about 

future projects and programmes. 

My colleagues at Dartmouth House have been working 

hard to eradicate difficulties experienced earlier in the year 

with the Members’ database and the collection of 

subscriptions and I am now assured that these problems 

have been rectified. However, do let me know if you 

continue to experience difficulties and I shall do all that I 

can to address problems on a case by case basis. 

As you are aware, the level of subscription has not been 

changed over the last ten years and, through a process of 

consultation, this is something we shall be addressing soon, 

but we also realise that we must control central costs so that 

we can live within our means. None of us want to see 

repeated the scale of deficit incurred last financial year and 

therefore we are taking measures to ensure that our staffing 

levels and other fixed costs are affordable. 

One very welcome item of expenditure has been on the 

Long Drawing Room at Dartmouth House, which has now 

been repainted, the floors stripped and sealed, the curtains 

cleaned and re-hung and the chandeliers sparkling. It really 

does look splendid and provides a sharp reminder of how 

much work there is to do on other parts of the house to 

bring them up to a similar standard! 

It hardly seems possible that the time of year is already 

upon us when we at Dartmouth House are getting ready to 

erect and decorate the Christmas tree and preparing for the 

annual carol concert. If the months ahead are anywhere 

near as stimulating, invigorating and as challenging as my 

first six months in the role of Director-General, I know that 

I am going to thoroughly enjoy my time with the ESU and 

working alongside you. 

Peter Kyle 

DIALOGUE 6

FEATURES 

– Inside 

A selection of events and articles that deserve special 

attention for their significance to the ESU from the last 

three months. 

Awards Day at Buckingham Palace_08 

Secondary School Exchange Update and 

Thanksgiving Dinner_11 

Debating the Evidence Research Project_12

AWARDS CEREMONY AT 

BUCKINGHAM PALACE 

Antonia Clare, Steve Oakes, JJ Wilson, Frances Eales - the winners of 

The Duke of Edinburgh ESU English Language Book Award 

On 9 November, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, President 

of The English-Speaking Union hosted a ceremony at 

Buckingham Palace to celebrate the winners of our 

Effective English speaking competitions and English 

Language Teaching awards. The annual teaching awards 

celebrate innovation and good practice in the field of 

English language and English Language Teaching. A highly 

respected panel of judges reviewed all the entries over the 

summer and were pleased to award the prizes. 

Three entries received accolades in the Duke of Edinburgh 

English Language Book Award: 

- Overall winner: Speakout by Antonia Clare, Frances Eales, 

Steve Oakes, JJ Wilson; Publisher: Pearson 

- Highly Commended: Dynamic Presentations by Mark Powell; 

Publisher: Cambridge University Press 

- Best for Children: Sunshine by Marta Graciela Garcia 

Lorea and Elida Beatriz Messina; Publisher: 

Garnet Education 

The judges were pleased by the high standard of entries 

this year and commented that the winner Speakout was 

“an ambitious publishing commitment to teachers 

and learners.” 

DIALOGUE 8

1. 

1. Özge Karaoglu 

Ergen, winner of 

the CUP-ESU 

New Writing 

Award 

2. Marta Graciela 

Garcia Lorea and 

Elida Beatriz 

Messina, 

winners of the 

Best Entry for 

Children 

3. Georgia 

McMahon, 

Rebecca Grant 

and Roberta 

Wilkinson from 

Parrs Wood High 

School, winners 

of the Public 

Speaking 

Competition 

4. Francesca 

Ruddy and 

Katherine 

Docherty from 

the University of 

Glasgow, winners 

of the Essex 

Court Mooting 

competition 

5. Najma Ahmed, 

Rommana Delair 

and Jamiah 

Okoye from 

Clapton Girls’ 

Academy, 

winners of the 

London Debate 

Challenge 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

DIALOGUE 9

Eamon Chawke of the ESU 

with Jeon Wook Kang, 

winner of the 2011 IPSC 

The ESU President’s Award is given each year to recognise 

innovation and good design in the use of new, free-standing 

technologies in the teaching and learning of English. This 

year the panel was pleased to award the prize to Phonetics 

Focus by Cambridge English Online, an ‘app’ for mobile 

telephones which helps to teach the International Phonetic 

Alphabet (IPA). The judges described it as “rich in good 

content and effective in the variety and flexibility of 

learning options for the learner.” Adrian Illingworth, the 

creator, flew from Thailand to be presented with his trophy 

by HRH Prince Philip. 

In addition, this year, we awarded the first CUP-ESU New 

Writing Award, a new initiative in partnership with 

Cambridge University Press. This award is aimed at new 

and aspiring authors throughout the world who bring fresh 

and imaginative approaches to the teaching and learning of 

English. The inaugural winner was Özge Karaoglu Ergen 

from Turkey for her digital game Bubble and Pebble. Yann 

Desdevises from France won a highly commended entry 

and came to the reception at Dartmouth House afterwards 

to be presented with her certificate by the ESU and 

Cambridge University Press. 

Finally, the winners of competitions from the ESU Speech 

and Debate department were awarded certificates by Prince 

Philip in recognition of their achievement over the last year. 

Jeon Wook Kang from South Korea was the winner of the 

International Public Speaking Competition. The final was 

held on 27 May at HSBC headquarters in Canary Wharf. 

Jeon’s speech was entitled ‘Ummm... I Can’t Teach!’ We 

are delighted that HSBC continues to sponsor this 

competition which reaches around 40,000 students 

worldwide with more than 80 coming from around 50 

countries, to take part in the week-long programme 

in London. 

The winners of the ESU’s two national schools’ 

competitions, the Public Speaking Competition for Schools 

and the Schools Mace were Parrs Wood High School, 

Manchester (Georgia McMahon, Rebecca Grant and 

Roberta Wilkinson) and St Paul’s School, London (Freddy 

Powell and Ben Goldstein) respectively. Both teams came 

with their coaches to Buckingham Palace to celebrate 

their achievement. 

The annual London Debate Challenge was won by Clapton 

Girls’ Academy, Hackney represented by Rommana Delair, 

Jamiah Okoye and Najma Ahmed. At the final on 1 July, the 

four highest-scoring teams from the first three rounds took 

part in two final debates in the packed lecture hall, with the 

motions ‘This House Would allow Students to Skip School 

to go on Political Protests’ and ‘This House Would 

Introduce Compulsory Random Drug Testing in all 

Schools.’ 

The John Smith Memorial Mace is the oldest debating 

competition in the world and the final, this year, was 

contested by Trinity College Dublin, Cardiff University, 

The University of Edinburgh and the University of 

Cambridge. Doug Cochran and Maria English from 

Cambridge were successful at the final in Dublin. 

The ESU-Essex Court Chambers Mooting Competition 

was won by The University of Glasgow, represented by 

Francesca Ruddy and Katherine Docherty. Sponsored by 

Essex Court Chambers, it promotes the skills of courtroom 

advocacy for legal students in Britain. Hypothetical cases 

are presented before a judge and two teams argue for and 

against the case. 

All winners, their guests and other invitees from the ESU 

and English language teaching world attended a reception 

at ESU Dartmouth House, sponsored by Cambridge 

University Press. 

Congratulations to all of the winners! 

DIALOGUE 10

SSE UPDATE AND 

THANKSGIVING DINNER 

A Memphis welcome for Jessica Caie, UK SSE student 

Finn, Emily, Ailie and Saul: 2012 SSE scholars 

The Secondary School Exchange (SSE) is one of the 

ESU’s oldest programmes and enables students to spend 

a year or six months in the US during their gap year or, in 

the case of US students, a year in the UK. The current 

US scholars in the UK and three-term UK scholars in the 

US all started in September and have been updating us 

on their progress so far. While it has been a learning curve 

for some students getting used to a new environment and 

a new country, they have all been getting involved with 

activities in their schools, whether that be sailing, drama, 

music and sport. Below are a few reports from British 

students in America on their experience so far: 

“I never knew that there were so few hours in the day until I 

came to this school and I love it. I am constantly busy doing 

interesting classes, spending time with new friends and 

practising sports. This is the best way to spend a day and I 

get to do it every day. Every teacher here knows who I am 

and cares about my welfare and progress at the school. 

Upon arrival, I immediately asked about possibly joining 

the football team and around four different teachers 

approached me and greatly helped me out.” 

“Everything is going great, I’m really enjoying myself and 

have already made some very close friends. I’m rooming 

with three other girls so there’s always something fun going 

on in my room! I’ve been given some brilliant opportunities 

to experience new things. I’m going canoeing for the first 

time ever this weekend and can’t wait.” 

“So far so good, really enjoying my classes. There’s a lot of 

work but it’s manageable! I am actually surprised how 

difficult it is though, not really too different from A level 

standard here. I’m making lots of new friends as well, my 

roommate is from New York and I think I’m going to stay 

with his family in Manhattan during the upcoming parents’ 

weekend. The school is amazing as well, really beautiful 

grounds. I’m also involved in the Young Democrats club 

which is really interesting and also the future business 

leaders club. I think I’m going to contribute to the school 

newspaper as well.” 

Meanwhile, back in the UK, in November, we held the 

briefing day for the new two-term scholars who will be 

leaving to go America in January. They met alumni and 

ESU staff to talk through their forthcoming time in the US 

and to ask any questions before they go. The 2011-12 

two-term scholars are: 

- Finn Houston from Dollar, Scotland going to Westminster 

School, Connecticut 

- Saul Shimmin from Bolton going to Woodberry Forest 

School, Virginia 

- Emily Swallow from East Yorkshire going to Ravenscroft 

School, North Carolina 

- Ailie Walker from Suffolk going to Kent School, 

Connecticut 

The same evening, the current US scholars, who are at UK 

boarding schools, were joined by some of the two-term 

scholars and recent alumni from the programme to 

celebrate Thanksgiving with turkey and pumpkin pie at 

ESU Dartmouth House. The US scholars are spread 

throughout the UK so it was a nice chance to meet each 

other, compare experiences and explore London for the 

weekend. 

DIALOGUE 11

DEBATING THE 

EVIDENCE– 90 YEARs 

OF BEING RIGHT! 

For more than 90 years, the ESU has been at the forefront of creating and running debating competitions, 

delivering world class training and producing materials. Now, we have independent research which gives us 

empirical evidence to support the numerous anecdotes that debating helps 

people in their studies and in life. 

On 10 October, the ESU launched ‘Debating the 

Evidence’. This is a piece of independent research which 

was jointly funded and commissioned by the ESU and 

CfBT (Campaign for British Teachers) Education Trust. 

The company which successfully won the bid to undertake 

the research was EdComs, a leading education research 

charity. 

The original brief was to assess all existing evidence from 

around the world which looked into the effects that learning 

speech and debate skills have on young people. Collating 

and assessing the evidence was a major undertaking, with a 

number of very useful reports from large studies coming 

from the USA and supporting evidence from countries 

including Canada, France, Israel, Japan, Singapore and 

Hong Kong. An expert panel was established comprising 

the leading debate and speech practitioners from around 

the world. 

The 37-page final report says everything we hoped it would 

say. This report illustrates that the many positive aspects of 

debating that we promote have been proven to develop the 

confidence and analytical ability of school children. Some 

of the most interesting outcomes are that many children 

reported ‘becoming more objective and enjoying being able 

to challenge our teachers’ and a heightened interest in 

current affairs and their wider social impact. Debate was 

also found to ‘engender a sophisticated discussion among a 

class of 10 to 11 year-old pupils when used as an exercise in 

perspective-taking.’ 

In addition, debating encourages the skills to ‘develop and 

present their ideas with greater imagination and fluency’ as 

well as sensitivity to precise language. These are invaluable 

life skills for any child hoping to pursue a successful career. 

Academically, the report shows a 25% increase in GPA 

(Grade Point Average – from a US study) for debaters above 

that of the control group. 

Most particularly, we were pleased with the qualities the 

young people identified in themselves after experiencing 

competitive debating; many reported feeling a stronger 

desire to engage and question than before and, perhaps the 

most successful quality of all, it has helped to build 

confidence amongst otherwise more retiring pupils. 

The report is also valuable in highlighting where we might 

go next with further research. Although all of the existing 

evidence points in the right direction, there are limits to the 

size of some of the studies and a lot of very positive 

material had to be omitted as the evidence base was not 

sufficiently robust. Despite these notes of necessary caution, 

the overall picture is very encouraging and we are in no 

doubt that further studies will reinforce the findings of this 

initial report. In a time of tightening budgets and increasing 

time pressure, this report is a valuable tool to support 

teachers who are working so hard to establish and maintain 

debating clubs and activities. 

The report is available to download from esu.org and a 

limited supply of hard copies is available from ESU 

Dartmouth House. 

DIALOGUE 12

PROGRAMMES 

– Inside 

We bring you news and events from the programmes that 

the ESU runs from Dartmouth House and details of events 

coming up in 2012. 

London Debate Challenge_14 


Competition 2012_14 

Discover Your Voice_15 

John Smith Memorial 

Mace_15 

Mooting Competition_16 

Debate Academy_17 

International Council 

Meeting_17 

Shakespeare Debate_18 

Schools Mace and Public 

Speaking Competition for 

Schools_19 

Summer Seminars_20 

House of Lords Tea Party_21 

Music Scholarships_21 

Reform Club Debate_22 

Iceland Launch_23 

Middle East Arab Partnership 

Project_24 

International Delegations_24 

Diplomat Reception_25 

Speech & Debate Intern_25 

Japan Tour_26 

DIALOGUE 13

LONDON DEBATE CHALLENGE 

Following the success of the London Debate Challenge this 

year, the ESU is preparing to deliver the London-wide 

competition again with the aim of recruiting teams from 

the remaining four boroughs to take participation up to 32. 

The programme is widely supported by our network of 

mentors and by sponsors including the London Region and 

this year, Allen and Overy, Mediacom and The Week. It is 

one of the ESU’s most valuable activities and enables us to 

take debating into schools which do not engage with any of 

our other competitions. 

Details of the 2012 competition will be available in the New 

Year. The grand final will be held at ESU Dartmouth 

House in the summer term. 

INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION 

Preparations for the HSBC-supported International Public 

Speaking Competition are well underway. At the end of the 

summer, the dates and the themes for this year’s 

competition were released to the national public speaking 

coordinators in the 50 or so countries around the world who 

will send participants to London next year to compete in 

the final. The theme for the national competitions is ‘The 

Wisdom of Youth.’ Organisers may use this theme for the 

competitions they run in their own countries, the winners of 

which will represent their respective countries at the 

international final next year. The international competition 

theme for 2012 is ‘The Head or the Heart’ 

The IPSC programme will run from Monday 14 May to 

Friday 18 May, with the first round heats taking place on 

Thursday 17 May 2012 and the semi-finals and the grand 

final on Friday 18 May . 

Participants will write and deliver a speech, the title and 

content of which must be connected with the international 

theme (though the participants cannot use the theme itself 

as the title of their speech). All participants will then give a 

five-minute prepared speech. Those who progress from the 

first round heats to the semi-finals will deliver a threeminute 

impromptu speech on a different topic, which they 

will receive 15 minutes in advance of their speech. Finally, 

the six participants who progress to the grand final will 

again deliver their original five-minute prepared speech. 

The IPSC programme will also involve a number of 

educational and cultural activities and excursions. Last 

year’s programme offered a trip to Hampton Court Palace, 

a tour of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, as well as 

impromptu speaking and performance workshops. 

The competition handbook for IPSC 2012 has been 

released and is available to download from the IPSC section 

of the ESU website. The full programme will be posted 

there as soon as it has been finalised. 

DIALOGUE 14

DISCOVER YOUR VOICE 

The first ‘Discover Your Voice’ mentor training session of 

the year was recently held at ESU Dartmouth House. We 

now have a pool of over 80 trained mentors who assist us in 

delivering our primary and secondary school training 

programmes. 

Last year, we worked with more than 100 schools 

throughout England and Wales, teaching public speaking 

and debating skills for beginners and intermediates. Our 

aim is to help develop skills in cooperation with 

programmes already up and running in schools, but also to 

establish debating where there has not been a tradition in 

place. ‘Discover Your Voice’ additionally forms the 

backbone of our international training programme, and we 

have been working to develop a version of the texts which 

are available for use overseas. Teachers and students alike 

gain a lot from the programme. They build their skills using 

our class resources, follow up materials, engagement with 

the ESU competitions and the day they spend with our 

mentors. 

ESU Speech and Debate offers workshops to schools at cost 

price when paid for directly by branches. If you think there 

may be a school in your area which would be interested, or 

if you would like more details, please get in touch with 

Steven Nolan at discoveryourvoice@esu.org 

THE JOHN SMITH MEMORIAL MACE 

To date, more than 200 teams have entered the John Smith 

Memorial Mace. As a result, this year’s championships look 

set to be the biggest in the competition’s 58 year history. 

Competitions are held in Ireland, Wales, Scotland and 

England, with the national champions competing against 

each other to select the international mace champion. This 

year’s international final will be held at ESU Dartmouth 

House on 29 April. 

The John Smith Memorial Mace is one of the most 

prestigious debating competitions in the world, with former 

winners including the late Donald Dewar, Charles Kennedy, 

Bob Marshall-Andrews, The Rt Hon the Lord Hunt of 

Wirral, Professor Anthony Clare, and the late Labour 

leader, John Smith, in whose honour the competition was 

re-named in 1995. 

The ESU is grateful to Baillie Gifford for its support of the 

competition. The firm’s dedication to spreading debating 

and speaking skills at university has enabled us to run 

dozens of training workshops across the UK and Ireland, 

including some with universities which have no tradition of 

debating. This work is being supplemented with the 

development of online training resources, so those 

interested are able to get access to expert ESU training, 

regardless of their location. 

University students involved in the John Smith Memorial 

Mace competitions are also vital to the operation of our 

primary and secondary school programmes. They form the 

majority of the mentors whom we instruct to deliver 

‘Discover Your Voice’ training; they judge public speaking 

and schools mace rounds, and form an active and engaged 

alumni network. 

DIALOGUE 15

NATIONAL MOOTING COMPETITION 

The Essex Court Chambers Mooting competition 

This year’s ESU-Essex Court Chambers UK National 

Mooting Competition has attracted a record number of 

entrants, with over 60 universities across England, Wales, 

Scotland and Northern Ireland fielding teams. Mooting sees 

teams of undergraduate law students advocate on a fictional 

legal problem in a mock trial setting. Last year, Francesca 

Ruddy and Katherine Docherty from the University of 

Glasgow defeated Alexander Knight and Matilda Forbes 

Watson, representing BPP Law School in the exciting final. 

The mooting final was held at President’s Court of the 

Royal Courts of Justice. Earlier in the day, the teams had 

faced The University of Cambridge and Kings College 

London in the semi finals, held at ESU Dartmouth House. 

The grand final moot itself was of an exceptionally high 

standard and was judged by a panel chaired by Dr Gavan 

Griffith QC (Australia), a former Solicitor General Australia 

and now an International Commercial and Investment 

Disputes Arbitrator. The other two judges were Martin 

Griffiths QC, an Essex Court Chambers Silk, best known 

for his work in employment, and Professor Philippa Watson, 

an Essex Court Chambers barrister specialising in EU law 

and competition and Visiting Professor City 

University, London. 

This year sees a new development for our mooting 

programme. We have launched a sister competition in 

Singapore, in partnership with Essex Court Chambers and 

the Singapore Academy of Law. Newly qualified 

practitioners from the top law firms, as well as the Attorney 

General’s office, have already competed in the first round of 

the competition, with the final scheduled to take place on 

17 January. The Singaporean champions will then compete 

against the UK champions in the first international final 

over the summer months. 

This is the twelfth year that Essex Court Chambers has 

been involved with the National Moot. They are invaluable 

as a sponsor and more importantly, as an organiser and 

expert in the smooth running of the competition. Long may 

the relationship continue. 

DIALOGUE 16

DEBATE ACADEMY 

The ESU’s 11th annual Debate Academy took place at 

Oakham School, Rutland, in July. 

Once again, a group of aspiring young debaters journeyed 

from across the UK to participate in a series of seminars, 

lectures and debates organised by staff and mentors. And 

this year, Debate Academy was bigger than ever. It was 

filled to capacity with 120 students, with many more on the 

waiting list who we hope will be able to join us next year. 

This time round, we were able to offer an unprecedented 

level of financial support, providing over £5,000 worth of 

bursaries to students who would otherwise not have been 

able to attend. 

Debate Academy went international this year with a new 

World Schools format course attracting students from as far 

afield as Mexico, Slovenia and South Africa. 

As usual, the students threw themselves into the activities, 

seminars and debates with infectious enthusiasm. Thanks to 

the support of our expert team of coaches and mentors, 

students were able to grow in confidence and ability 

throughout the academy. They debated a host of current 

affairs topics ranging from banning tabloid newspapers to 

allowing students to vote out their teachers. However, the 

academy wasn’t purely about debating. In the evenings 

students had time to meet like-minded people of their own 

age, engage in competitions and quizzes and socialise and 

relax in the gorgeous surroundings of Oakham School. 

The course culminated with the traditional beginners’ 

display debate – where those who had little experience of 

debate before the weekend debated in front of the whole 

academy. This was a great success with the teams providing 

excellent arguments whilst also keeping the audience 

entertained on the topic of whether parents should have 

access to their children’s social networking accounts. 

ESU staff members involved in the weekend would like to 

thank all the students for their enthusiasm and 

inquisitiveness throughout the course. We are also hugely 

grateful to our incredible mentors. The weekend could not 

have happened without the selfless dedication of our team 

who gave up their time – for free – to form a truly worldclass 

faculty. 

INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL MEETING 

Pat Schroeder (right), Chair of ESU USA with ESU Philadelphia 

members 

Jon Dye, Deputy-Chair ESU, chairing a Princeton v Columbia debate 

in front of Independence Hall, Philadelphia 

Forty delegates from 20 ESUs attended the International 

Council Meeting held in Philadelphia in October. The event 

was chaired by Patricia Schroeder, Chairman of the 

Council and of ESU USA. Dame Mary Richardson and 

Peter Kyle represented ESU Dartmouth House and Richard 

Oldham represented England & Wales. 

Key resolutions passed at the meeting included new rules 

and procedures for elections and voting on the Council and 

Terms of Reference for Honorary Posts. Dame Mary 

thanked Lord Watson (Chairman Emeritus, International 

Council 2005-2011) in absentia for his two, three-year terms 

in office. 

The AGM of ESU USA followed immediately after the 

Council Meeting and international delegates had the 

opportunity to network with members and Chairman from 

USA branches. 

DIALOGUE 17

SHAKESPEARE AUTHORSHIP DEBATE – 

HAVE WE ALL BEEN PLAYED 

In early June, the ESU hosted the 

‘Shakespeare Authorship Debate’ in 

conjunction with Sony Pictures and 

the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. This 

was to promote the release of multiaward-winning 

director Roland 

Emmerich’s latest film, Anonymous, 

staring Derek Jacobi, Vanessa 

Redgrave and Rhys Ifans. 

Emmerich, best known for directing 

CGI-laden blockbusters such as 

Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow 

and 2012, was joined by Professor 

Stanley Wells, Professor Michael 

Dobson, Rev Dr Paul Edmondson, 

Charles Beauclerk and Dr William 

Leahy. Both sides debated the motion 

‘This House Believes that William 

Shakespeare of Stratford-Upon-Avon 

wrote the plays and poems attributed 

to him’. 

To a packed room, the eminent 

panellists debated conspiracy theories, 

signatures, the role of Hamlet as 

autobiography and whether 

Shakespeare was, in fact, an 

uneducated commoner and 

eminent fraudster. 

At one stage, Dr Leahy branded 

Shakespeare “an opportunist”, and 

claimed he had stolen the works and 

“passed them off as his own”. Paul 

Edmondson, Head of Learning and 

Research at the Shakespeare 

Birthplace Trust, rebutted that “this 

evening we have been entertained by a 

post-modern cocktail of historical fact 

and historical fiction.”The questions 

from the floor were no less heated, 

with guests, some of whom had 

travelled across the Atlantic for the 

evening, passionately giving their views 

on the authorship subject which 

chairman James Probert said “has 

been going on for long before we 

arrived here tonight and will continue 

long after this evening ends.” 

While a vote indicated a resounding 

win for the proposition, the 

conversations being had as the 

audience left ESU Dartmouth House 

indicated that there was far more to 

discuss, and that the question of the 

authorship of Shakespeare’s plays is 

far from resolved. 

Have we all been played 

That is the question. 

DIALOGUE 18

SCHOOLS MACE AND PUBLIC SPEAKING 

COMPETITION FOR SCHOOLS 

This year’s schools’ competitions are underway with more 

than 350 schools from all over England registered for the 

Schools Mace and over 320 English and Welsh schools 

registered for the Public Speaking Competition. This year 

has also seen an increase in the number of schools taking 

part in our ‘Discover Your Voice’ training programme in 

preparation for both competitions. 

In September, we released the new Speech and Debate 

Competition Handbook, which is available to download 

from the ESU website. As well as containing the rules of 

both competitions and an explanation of their formats, the 

handbook contains lots of tips and guidelines for students, 

teachers and adjudicators on various aspects of both 

competitions (how to construct a speech, how to improve 

delivery, how to deal with questions and points of 

information, and much more). 

The first rounds of the Schools Mace have already begun 

across the country and will run between November and 

Christmas. The second rounds will take place in January 

and mid-February and the regional finals, in mid-February 

and March. 

We have set the date for the England final of the Schools 

Mace - Friday 30 March. The International final of the 

Schools Mace, which will see the English, Irish, Scottish and 

Welsh champions compete against each other, will take 

place on Saturday 28 April. Both events will be hosted at 

ESU Dartmouth House in London. 

The first rounds of the Public Speaking Competition for 

Schools are also underway with first round heats and 

branch finals taking place across England and Wales 

between November and early February. All branch rounds 

should be completed by spring half-term and the regional 

finals will happen in late February and March. 

The date for the UK final of the Public Speaking 

Competition for Schools has also been set. It will take place 

on Saturday 12 May at Goodenough College in London. 

The final of the International Public Speaking 

Competition, which will see last year’s Best Speaker 

compete against speakers from over 50 countries around the 

globe, takes place on 17-18 May. 

DIALOGUE 19

SUMMER SEMINARS 

ESU delegates at The Globe 

In August, the ESU welcomed delegates from around the 

world and the UK to the annual trio of summer seminars. 

Two are based around Shakespeare, working with the 

Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford, and The Globe 

in London. The third is the International Relations 

Conference, held at Mansfield College, Oxford. 

Nineteen international teachers took part in the ESU Globe 

Education Cultural Seminar at Shakespeare’s Globe. These 

were teachers of English or theatre from countries 

throughout the world and were nominated by their local 

ESU. They were given the opportunity to take part in 

workshops on movement, voice, swordsmanship and music 

run by Globe practitioners who offered them insights into 

new ways of teaching Shakespeare to students of all ages 

and the importance of Shakespeare as performance. 

Delegates attended productions of As You Like It, All’s Well 

That Ends Well, Marlowe’s Dr Faustus and Anne Boleyn by 

Howard Brenton. They then had the chance to discuss the 

plays they had seen with a theatre critic and the actors 

themselves, as well as experience period music on original 

instruments. Many of the delegates commented afterwards 

that they had learnt a huge amount, not just from the Globe 

practitioners, but from each other. 

Our Stratford study course was attended by 12 British and 

two American teachers. Many of them were able to do so 

due to generous sponsorship from ESU branches. The 

course gave the delegates a unique insight into the life of 

Shakespeare and an opportunity to explore the places 

where he lived and worked. This was an academic 

programme of pre-performance lectures and postperformance 

discussions on plays led by scholars from the 

Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. 

This year’s plays were Macbeth, the Merchant of Venice, 

Midsummer Night’s Dream and Pinter’s The Homecoming. 

Delegates also enjoyed a ‘wigs and makeup’ demonstration, 

a directing workshop and classes with members of the RSC 

(including actors and voice coaches). All reported that they 

looked forward to introducing new ideas for lesson plans 

into their classrooms coupled with a revitalised enthusiasm 

for Shakespeare. 

Our International Relations Conference in Oxford 

welcomed 25 delegates from 19 countries. Topics ranged 

from climate change to peace and conflict. There was also a 

communication workshop run by the ESU’s Speech and 

Debate department. Following last year’s success, we again 

invited the Directory of Social Change to facilitate 

workshops inspired by the conference topics. These gave 

delegates the opportunity to share their views and exchange 

ideas, enabling them to take a more in-depth understanding 

back to their home countries. 

DIALOGUE 20

TEA ON THE TERRACE 

Lord Hunt with guests at the House of Lords Tea Party 

The House of Lords Tea Party was held on 6 July, kindly 

hosted by The Rt Hon The Lord Hunt of Wirral. 

This annual event provided an excellent opportunity for 

ESU members from across the globe to meet and have 

afternoon tea on the terrace of the House of Lords. This 

year, for the first time, guests were first offered the chance to 

board the ‘Queen Elizabeth’ and set sail on the Thames for 

an afternoon cruise from Westminster to Greenwich. It 

provided the perfect precursor to the afternoon’s festivities. 

More than 15 UK branches were represented, including 

London, Eastbourne, Guildford and District, Brighton 

Hove and District, Canterbury and East Kent, Suffolk, 

Salisbury and South Wiltshire, Ouse Valley, Worcestershire, 

Lincolnshire and Liverpool and Merseyside. We were also 

most fortunate to welcome Madame Beatrix de 

Montgermont-Keil, National President of ESU France; 

students from the Westminster Internship Programme and 

representatives of International House from Russia, Brazil, 

Japan, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Spain and London as well as the 

Rt Hon Lords Cormack and Dobbs, both of whom are 

long-time supporters of the ESU’s charitable activities. 

ESU MUSIC SCHOLARSHIPS 

ESU Music Scholarships give exceptional young musicians 

the opportunity to develop their talents and further their 

training at highly respected institutions in Canada, the US, 

England, Italy and France including Prussia Cove and 

Banff. This year, we were overwhelmed to receive double 

the number of applications from last year, all of which were 

of a high calibre. 

On 3 November, a panel of esteemed judges enjoyed 

listening to a select number of invited applicants including 

violinists, pianists and flautists and we wish the successful 

applicants all the best in their applications to their chosen 

schools. 

DIALOGUE 21

ESU REFORM CLUB DEBATE 

Lord Boateng at the ESU Reform Club Debate 

Lord Boateng opposes the ESU Reform Club Debate motion. 

The Reform Club Library was the historical setting for the 

ESU Reform Club debate in early July. This took place in 

front of a packed audience under the motion ‘This House 

Believes it is time to reform the Lords’. 

The eminent panellists included The Lord Watson of 

Richmond, The Rt Hon Lord Paul Boateng and ESU 

alumni Tara Mounce and Dr James Dray. Chairing the 

debate was Professor Brian Holden-Reid, Chairman of the 

Reform Club Political Committee. 

Opening for the proposition, Lord Watson stated that 

despite being sceptical of the idea of reformation and a 

“hybrid” House of Lords which would be “fundamentally 

unworkable and nonsense”, some degree of reform was 

necessary to coincide with the current “tectonic shift” 

occurring in UK politics. Such reform, he argued, should 

be introduced “seriously, strategically and realistically.” 

Opening for the opposition, Dr James Dray rebutted and 

stated that there was “nothing undemocratic about an 

unelected second chamber.” The role of the House of 

Lords, James argued, was simply to “guide, cajole and 

amend” the law; a role which would not change even if 

Peers were elected democratically. 

Tara Mounce, seconding the motion, called the House of 

Lords “illegitimate” and pleaded for a “mandate of power” 

to be given to Peers. A reformed House of Lords would, 

Tara stated, be more representative, more democratic and 

more effective in its role as a governing political body. 

Opposing the motion, Lord Boateng accused it of being 

nothing more than a “threat” to the preservation of the 

House of Lords and pleaded with the audience to realise 

that all that was actually on offer was a partially elected 

house, the role of which was uncertain, unclear and 

nothing more than a “political totem-pole.” 

DIALOGUE 22

LAUNCH OF ESU ICELAND 

AND AN ICELANDIC DEBATING 

PROGRAMME 

ESU Iceland launch 

ESU Iceland was launched on 10 June at a ceremony 

opened by Össur Skarphéðinsson, Minister for Foreign 

Affairs of Iceland, at the Nordic House in Reykjavik 

The Ambassadors of the UK, USA, Canada and India 

supported the event together with 55 delegates who 

travelled from 15 countries to welcome the latest ESU to the 

family. Delegates were greeted by Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, 

the President of Iceland, at a reception held in his residence 

the previous evening. As part of the official launch 

ceremony, Dame Mary Richardson, Chairman of the ESU, 

signed the ESU International Council Memorandum of 

Understanding with Eliza Reid, Chairman of ESU Iceland. 

The steering committee and alumni from ESU programmes 

in Iceland then joined the delegates for a panel debate on 

‘Global English: Threat or Empowerment’ The launch 

programme concluded with a visit to a highly successful 

Icelandic company and a tour of the Golden Circle, 

Iceland’s popular tourist route. 

In early November, Annette Fisher, Head of International 

at the ESU, visited schools in Reykjavik to deliver ‘Discover 

Your Voice’ training to students and teachers. This was to 

support the start of ESU Iceland’s debating programme 

which complements its already successful public speaking 

programme. 

Annette also spoke about the ESU’s international reach at 

an event at the British Ambassador’s residence attended by 

people from the Ministry of Education, media outlets and 

education professionals. 

DIALOGUE 23

ESU IN THE MIDDLE EAST 

Since the Arab Spring began in 

Tunisia and then spread to Egypt and 

elsewhere, the world has watched 

developments across the Middle East 

with concern and interest. One of the 

positive developments is the support 

from global and UK NGOs which 

have begun to operate in the region 

helping to support local programmes 

delivering everything from education 

and skills programmes to structural aid 

and funding. 

Sayeqa Islam, from the ESU Speech 

and Debate department, has been 

spearheading our involvement in a 

major multi-country programme 

funded by the FCO and supported by, 

among others, the British Council and 

UNICEF. Sayeqa and her team of 

mentors have been delivering debate 

coaching directly to young people in 

Jordan, Egypt and Tunisia but also 

training people to be trainers. There 

are hugely ambitious targets and, in 

some cases, the team is working with 

the ministries of education and, in 

others, with a range of NGOs to set 

up scores of debate clubs and 

introduce training in schools. The 

ultimate aim of the project is to bring 

debating to as many people as possible, 

giving young people communication 

skills which embrace critical thinking 

and the ability to analyse, and 

nurturing their confidence. This is 

vital in helping with the transition to 

more open and pluralistic societies. 

In one of the debate clubs in Jordan, a 

12 year-old girl called A’isha found 

that debating changed her life. Until 

six months ago her life outside her 

home was limited to attending school. 

She was taken to and from school by 

her older brother and was not allowed 

to go to friends’ houses or have friends 

over to her home. When the debating 

club was opened in the community 

centre, her brother wanted to attend 

but there was not time to take A’isha 

home first, so she came along. The 

club organisers included her in the 

activities with the other boys and girls. 

After a few months of taking part in 

the debate activities, she sat down with 

her father and, using the skills she had 

learnt, put forward a clear and logical 

case, supported with evidence as to 

why she should, on occasion, be 

allowed more freedom, including 

having friends to visit. Her father was 

amazed at her clarity and she 

persuaded him that she should be 

allowed more personal freedom. 

This is just one of countless stories of 

how these skills are helping to change 

lives in big and small ways. The ESU 

is able to bring its years of experience 

and its mentors to deliver this critical 

element of the project. The first year 

of the programme will conclude soon 

and we will keep you posted as it 

develops. 

INTERNATIONAL DELEGATIONS 

Over the last year, delegations have travelled to Japan, 

Korea, Ghana, Jordan, Turkey, Iceland, Hong Kong and 

Malta. Their purpose is to: 

• Deliver the ESU’s ‘Discover Your Voice’ programme 

(this teaches the skills of public speaking, debating and 

confidence in communication) to school and 

university students 

• Train teachers and mentors (often university students and 

ESU members) to deliver ‘Discover Your Voice’, thereby 

making the programme more sustainable in each country 

• Facilitate partner and sponsor meetings to build the 

capacity of the ESU in each country 

• Connect with and deepen the relationships with the 

UK Foreign Office, the British Council and current 

local partners 

• Develop and support the ESU committee in each country. 

Delegations normally consist of ESU staff and expert 

mentors. The ESU international department works with 

the ESU in a country to develop a programme which best 

addresses the needs of that ESU. Where possible, the 

work and visits are done on a full cost-recovery basis. 

Our delegation programme has proved an effective and 

successful way of supporting the work of current ESUs 

and developing ESU activity in new countries with 

local partners. 

DIALOGUE 24

DIPLOMAT RECEPTION 

The ESU enjoys a close relationship with many of the 

Embassies and High Commissions in London. These 

associations help us to connect with government 

representatives in ESU member countries, to develop links 

in new countries and to open our membership and 

programme of ESU Dartmouth House events to the 

international community in London. 

In recognition of these partnerships, the ESU invited 

Ambassadors and High Commissioners to a reception at 

ESU Dartmouth House in November. In addition to 

hearing about the organisation and its education 

programmes from Peter Kyle, the Director-General, guests 

enjoyed a tour of the building. 

AN INTERN’S EXPERIENCE AT THE ESU 

Madeleine Whelan 

In summer and autumn of this year, I spent two weeks as an 

intern at the English-Speaking Union in their Speech and 

Debate department. It was an opportunity I greatly 

anticipated having participated in several of their schools’ 

competitions. I am hoping to study a Law degree at 

university beginning in 2012 and I knew that working with 

a charity as prestigious as the English-Speaking Union 

would be an invaluable experience for me. 

I arrived slightly nervous having never experienced this kind 

of work before; however I found the Speech and Debate 

team to be extremely supportive and patient and they have 

inspired me to pursue my plans in Law with renewed rigour. 

I was given several organisational and administrative tasks 

and responsibilities. One of my favourite tasks was judging 

a Tower Hamlets primary schools’ debating competition at 

Dartmouth House. The ESU offers a wide range of support 

for any school, institution or business hoping to further their 

experience through public speech and debate and it was 

incredible to watch primary school-age children debate 

current issues such as the socio-economic impact of the 

Olympic Games on London’s landscape. 

I thoroughly enjoyed being given such a responsibility and 

watching the children develop their critical, evaluative and 

analytical skills through debating. I had enough debating 

experience to see where their arguments were strong or 

weaker and I knew that this kind of competition would be 

incredibly useful for them later. I was also on hand in the 

Speech and Debate office to assist the department with any 

extra administration and organisational work that needed 

completing and, contrary to the popular cliché, actually had 

other people making me coffee! 

I was able to help the department organise the entrants for 

the competitions that operate throughout the year as well as 

compile registration for the summer programmes. I also 

witnessed the finals and semi-finals of the National Mooting 

Competition which was an extremely valuable legal 

experience for me. 

The English-Speaking Union is full of motivating people 

and it was both great fun and hugely interesting to be in 

such an intellectual environment. My time with the 

organisation has taught me a huge amount, in a variety of 

different ways, and I know that it will always prove to be 

great experience on any job or place at university that I 

hope to get. I had an amazing time and everyone I met was 

extremely friendly, fun and taught me a lot. Thanks ESU! 

DIALOGUE 25

ESU JAPAN TOUR 

Between 29 September and 7 October, a debate delegation 

team consisting of John Ashbourne, Joanna Farmer, 

Catherine Kernaghan and Eoghan McSwiney, accompanied 

by Jason Vit, Head of Speech and Debate, was lucky enough 

to visit Japan as guests of ESU Japan (ESUJ). 

The ESU team at the 

Grand Final in Tokyo 

We are all incredibly thankful for this 

fascinating opportunity to observe 

Japanese debating but also the obvious 

effort that was made to introduce us to 

the food, history and culture of a 

country that none of us (except Jason) 

had had the chance to visit before. 

Throughout the visit we were 

astonished by the thought and effort 

that had clearly gone into its 

organisation and would like to convey 

our gratitude to Mr & Mrs Okada, 

Miss Ayako, Agata-san and the rest of 

ESUJ who contributed to the success 

of the trip. The team would also like 

to thank Jason for being a brilliant and 

inexhaustible old hand. 

Tokyo 

On the first night we - and most of our 

suitcases - gathered at our hotel in 

Shinjuku. Here, we were introduced to 

and briefed by the ESUJ and Kowa, 

the reigning ESU champion, about the 

forthcoming activities. We were then 

whisked off to a fantastic dinner at a 

traditional Japanese pub. After several 

hours of beautiful sashimi, shabu 

shabu and a vast selection of Japanese 

liquor, we headed back to our hotel 

extremely excited about what lay 

ahead. 

The next day provided an opportunity 

for some sightseeing, so we rushed 

around Shinjuku and we were given a 

tour of the skyline by a lovely elderly 

guide at the top of the Tokyo 

Metropolitan Tower. John and 

Catherine’s inspired map reading also 

eventually led us to Meiji Jingu park, 

home to several turtles and the Meji 

shrine, where we were lucky enough to 

witness a dramatically costumed 

wedding ceremony. 

After another amazing fish-based 

meal, we headed back to the hotel and 

on to our first official event: a debate 

for the Oxford and Cambridge 

Society. This was held in a beautiful 

room many floors above Roppongi, 

with a stunning view that proved 

distracting to us, and which we assume 

was the cause of most of the applause. 

Hopefully, we were able to keep 

people’s attention with the motion 

‘This House Would rather go to 

Disneyland than a museum’, which 

saw Jo and Catherine face Eoghan and 

John. It was a rowdy and extremely 

enjoyable debate, which, despite the 

girls’ clearly superior knowledge of the 

Disney Corporation, was won by the 

boys. 

The evening was rounded off with yet 

another fantastic meal and several 

interesting conversations with 

members of ESUJ and the Oxford 

Cambridge Society. It was notable 

from these how much the audience 

enjoyed the stylistic and humorous 

elements of the debate and were keen 

to see these deployed more readily by 

Japanese debaters; something worth 

keeping in mind for the squad during 

training sessions. 

DIALOGUE 26

ESUJ Tournament 

The next morning saw the beginning 

of the ESUJ tournament held, as 

always, at the 1964 Olympic Centre. 

This was an excellent introduction to 

Japanese debating at university level 

for us, as judging several debates in 

quick succession allowed to us to 

evaluate the quality so that we could 

appropriately pitch the level of our 

training and speaking for the rest of 

the tour. The standard was, in fact, 

excellent and all of us saw teams that 

would excel at many European 

competitions and at the World 

Championships. 

The first day of the tournament 

involved us all in judging the four 

preliminary closed rounds and giving 

some feedback to teams at the end of 

the day. We thoroughly enjoyed the 

motions, especially those specific to 

Japan, which opened our eyes to issues 

we have never previously considered. 

On one memorable occasion, 

Ambassador Numata was induced to 

lead the rest of the judging panel in a 

rendition of the national anthem. 

We returned the next day to judge the 

break rounds (quarter finals, semi 

finals and final). These continued to be 

of a high standard, even when dealing 

with difficult motions. We also split up 

to run several training sessions over the 

course of the day. Eoghan and 

Catherine very much enjoyed the time 

they spent with middle school students. 

This session was challenging and it 

took some while to adapt to the vast 

range of English fluency in the room 

but with the help of the occasional 

translation by Mrs Okada, it turned 

out to be a successful introduction to 

formal arguments. 

Jo also ran a session on rights whilst 

John spent some time discussing 

strategy. These workshops were very 

well attended and raised a set of tricky 

questions for the team to deal with. 

We were approached several times by 

teams looking for more advanced 

coaching, and specifically aimed at the 

World Debating Championship, which 

uses a different format of debating. 

We also staged a display debate in the 

magnificent main hall where 

Catherine and John proposed a 

motion which had been used in the 

preliminary debates the previous day: 

‘This House Believes Western nations 

should continue to freeze all Libyan 

assets until fair elections have been 

held’. Eoghan and Jo opposed. 

Possibly the oddest part of this 

experience was debating underneath 

giant photographs of our own smiling 

heads! Eventually, with the aid of 

several LSE (‘Libyan School of 

Economics’) jokes, the opposition 

prevailed. 

We moved straight on to judging the 

final round of this extraordinarily well 

run tournament, where Hirotsubashi 

University won from proposition on 

the motion ‘This House Would make 

language and history tests compulsory 

for immigrants’. We would like to 

congratulate all those who competed 

and especially the organisers and 

volunteers of this tournament. They 

had us gasping at the efficiency of it all 

on more than one occasion. 

Akita 

The next morning Mr Agata escorted 

us up to Akita, an area we were 

excited to visit despite persistent 

warnings about the weather in the 

region. The weather turned out to be 

nearly identical to that in London, so 

we felt right at home. We enjoyed a 

tour of the very impressive campus of 

Akita International University before 

settling down to our third display 

debate. John and Jo channelled 

personal employment frustrations into 

arguing for ‘This House Believes real 

life experience is more important than 

university’ against Eoghan and 

Catherine (both soon to be happily 

employed). The crowd and the 

newly-established debating society at 

Akita were very engaged and we 

thoroughly enjoyed their company and 

enthusiasm. 

That evening we were taken to dinner 

by Mr Agata, Prof. Mark Williams, 

Vice-President of the university, and 

Hiroya Ichikawa, the head of Akita’s 

International Business Faculty. We 

were interested to hear more about the 

ethos behind this unusually outward 

looking institution and to make a case 

for debating finding a central place 

amongst its innovative curriculum. 

Especially appreciated was the sharing 

of a bottle of Mr Agata’s favourite 

local Sake with him. 

Osaka 

We flew south to Osaka, the next 

morning, on an amusingly small plane 

and were greeted by Mika, who 

ensured we safely found our hotel 

amongst the vast sprawl of the city. 

Almost immediately, we managed to 

get ourselves thoroughly lost whilst 

attempting to sightsee, ending up 

amongst a concrete factory and several 

old men playing cards. We were 

rescued in time to head to Osaka 

Prefecture University for our debate to 

which we welcomed a member of 

their debating society on to each of 

our teams. 

Eoghan’s winning streak was finally 

broken by John and Catherine 

opposing the motion ‘This House 

Would introduce quota for women on 

corporate boards’, a topic well 

received by the audience. This was a 

debate in which a translation of each 

speech was provided at the conclusion 

of each speaker’s remarks. Afterwards, 

we were treated to a wonderful dinner 

by the debating society at a nearby 

restaurant, which was a favourite with 

local students. We very much enjoyed 

this rare opportunity to spend an 

extended period with students in a 

thriving debating society. 

Kyoto 

Several students from the Osaka leg of 

the tour were kind enough to 

accompany us to Kyoto the next 

morning and to guide us around 

several of the temples. Despite the 

pouring rain that follows Jason on all 

these trips, we loved seeing these 

beautiful, ancient buildings and relied 

on steaming bowls of ramen and 

tempura to see us through the day. We 

were also fascinated to catch a glimpse 

of several geisha piling into a taxi in 

order to avoid the rain. 

DIALOGUE 27

A particular success was the purchase 

of several prayer candles to be lit in 

the hope of specific outcomes. Jo has 

since pledged herself to Buddhism 

after the prompt fulfilment of her ‘find 

employment’ candle. We were nearly 

as impressed with the architecture of 

the vast, futuristic Kyoto train station 

from which we caught the Shinkansen 

back to Tokyo at the end of the day. 

Tokyo Again 

Arriving back into Tokyo shortly 

before midnight, we had a specific goal 

in mind: to be the first ESU team to 

actually make it to the 4 am tuna 

auction at Tsujiki market. After an all 

too brief nap, we set off in the dark, in 

quest of fish. The auction itself was a 

loud and bustling way to wake up, but 

by the time we sat down to our sushi 

breakfast, none of us could possibly 

regret the morning. We all agreed it 

was some of the best food we had ever 

eaten and it set us up well for a spot of 

last minute sightseeing and shopping 

in Shibuya. Finally, we headed to our 

last appointment at the Japan 

Professional School of Education in 

Yotsuya. Here, we faced each other 

one last time over the motion ‘This 

House Would reduce school holidays 

from 40 days to 20 days’ after a crash 

course in the issue by Mr Okada. 

We also ran exercises introducing the 

concept of debating to around 20 

trainee teachers and attempted to 

show how arguing in English could be 

usefully deployed in the classroom. 

We made our final farewells with our 

amazing ESUJ hosts and managed to 

squeeze in a few more glasses of 

umeshu before we left the country, 

all of us determined to return soon. 

1. Ginza-district, Tokyo 

2. The ESU Debate team 

in Osaka 

3. The winners and 

runners-up at the 

Grand Final 

DIALOGUE 28

ALUMNI 

– Inside 

A selection of personal reflections from alumni 

and a look back at some of our programme celebrations. 

In 2010, the December 

edition of dialogue was 

launched as the alumni 

edition of the members’ 

magazine. This section 

enables us to keep our 

members and alumni 

abreast of exciting news 

and forthcoming events. It 

also provides our readers 

with an opportunity to hear 

how our alumni have been 

getting on after completing 

their various educational 

programmes. 

As a further treat, you can 

read some of the wonderful 

stories we have received 

from alumni for our special 

feature ‘If it wasn’t for the 

ESU...!’ 

REQUEST FOR EMAIL 

ADDRESSES! 

Ever heard how it is the 

smallest things that make 

the biggest difference 

Simply supplying us with 

your email address not only 

means we can 

communicate with you 

more effectively but every 

penny we save on postage 

goes directly to supporting 

our charitable activities! 

Please forward any and all 

email addresses to 

esu@esu.org 

Moved house or got a new 

job As well as e-mail 

addresses, we kindly 

request submission of your 

most recent details so we 

may keep your records as 

up-to-date as possible. 

A Year of Reunions_30 

All Alumni Reunion_30 

IPSC 30th Anniversary Dinner_31 

Young Alumni Reunion_32 

Lindemann Reunion_33 

Furness Feast/Harvard-Westlake 

Reunion_34 

SSE Scholarship 50th Anniversary 

Reunion_34 

If it Wasn’t for the ESU . . . !_35 

DIALOGUE 29

A YEAR OF REUNIONS 

The Alumni department works hard to make sure that the 

benefit of the ESU does not have to end when your 

programme does! Being an alumnus/a of the ESU means 

being a part of an international network of over 5,000 

individuals. We hold many reunions throughout the year – 

the perfect opportunity to meet, socialise and network – to 

re-connect with past contacts and make new friends! We 

hope you enjoy reading about them. 

If you are interested in re-connecting with any of those you 

remember from your time on an ESU programme or have 

any suggestions for a reunion or an event, please contact 

Kate Bond, Membership and Alumni Officer, 

kate.bond@esu.org 

ALL ALUMNI REUNION 

In May, the ESU held its annual All Alumni Reunion - the 

highlight of the alumni calendar. This event saw a 

wonderful mix of alumni back at ESU Dartmouth House to 

re-acquaint themselves with the ESU and each other. With 

representation from a wide range of programmes spanning 

six decades - and even a couple of guests from across the 

pond - the occasion was very well attended. Guests enjoyed 

conversation over Pimm’s and canapés against a backdrop 

of photos of ESU alumni dating back over the decades. 

Speeches were given by Kate Bond, Membership and 

Alumni Officer, and Roderick Chamberlain, SSE Alumnus 

and ESU Governor. Kate spoke of the ESU’s aims to 

provide people from all countries, all walks of life and all 

abilities, with the chance to express themselves. She added 

that our members and alumni support these aims through 

raising money and donating invaluable contacts for our 

charitable work. Kate also reiterated that her door is always 

open if alumni or members have any comments or queries, 

if they feel they can help the ESU with an idea for an event, 

or with a contact for sponsorship, if they would like to hold 

a reunion or simply get back in touch with those they 

remember from their time at the ESU. 

Roderick then thanked the ESU for putting on the event as 

well as for the ESU’s positive influence on so many lives. He 

said, wisely, it is not what the ESU does for you as an 

alumnus but rather who it helps you become! 

DIALOGUE 30

IPSC 30th ANNIVERSARY DINNER 

The English-Speaking Union’s International Public 

Speaking Competition was started in 1981. It originated as 

a public speaking tournament between England and 

Australia. Thirty years later, it has evolved to become one 

of the largest international public speaking tournaments in 

the world with representatives from nearly 50 countries 

competing against each other every year. 

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the IPSC, 

participants and alumni were invited to attend a 

commemorative dinner at ESU Dartmouth House on 25 

May (the evening before the first round heats!). The 

participants had spent a beautiful, sunny day at Hampton 

Court Palace before arriving at ESU Dartmouth House for 

a drinks reception. A number of displays were set up in the 

courtyard, showing maps and information on the countries 

that participate in the IPSC and photos of past participants 

and competitions. This gave guests a lot to talk about and 

the opportunity to mingle. 

After the reception, the full delegation was invited to the 

Long and Small Drawing Rooms where a three-course meal 

was served. Seating was arranged so that this year’s 

participants could talk to those from previous years (many 

of whom were also alumni adjudicators for the 2011 

competition), as well as ESU members, supporters and 

organisers. 

During the meal, a number of participants and alumni 

spoke about their experiences of the ESU and the IPSC, 

and gave the participants an insight into the value of the 

organisation, the competition and the skill of public 

speaking itself. The winner of IPSC 2010, Moataz El 

Issrawi, told how the ESU and the IPSC had changed his 

life in Lebanon, creating opportunities for him and making 

him a more confident person. Everyone who spoke made 

reference to one of the most valuable aspects of the IPSC; 

by the end of the competition, every participant has 80 new 

friends, each from countries all over the world! 

DIALOGUE 31

YOUNG ALUMNI REUNION 

At the beginning of September, the ESU hosted its first Young Alumni Reunion. 

This gave an opportunity for ESU alumni under the age of 

30 to meet, greet and network with others who have been 

involved in ESU competitions, programmes and 

scholarships. 

Guest speaker Faisal Islam, Economics Editor of Channel 

4 News, shared many funny and interesting anecdotes about 

his experiences on the ESU’s Capitol Hill Scholarship and 

provided insights into the worlds of politics, economics and 

journalism. He also gave more general advice to alumni 

wishing to further their careers, specifying the importance 

of humility, daring and, where possible, seeking a mentor. 

Jenni Hibbert, Vice-President of the Alumni Association 

also addressed the group, speaking of the importance of the 

Alumni Association as a lifelong network for alumni both 

socially and in their careers. 

The event was hailed a success by those who attended, with 

plans to make the Young Alumni Reunion an annual event. 

DIALOGUE 32

LINDEMANN REUNION 

In October, we staged our 2011 Lindemann Reunion. 

Among the returning alumni of the Lindemann Trust 

Fellowship were Professor Robin Marshall and Professor 

Brian Cox. All of the guests were able to catch up with old 

friends and make new ones at a drinks and buffet reception. 

The Lindemann Trust Fellowship is a grant giving body for 

post-doctoral scientists wishing to do research in America. 

As such, a broad range of scientific fields was represented at 

the event, from atomic physics to biomolecular science, 

astrophysics and beyond. The cross-pollination of ideas 

between alumni was wonderful to see. 

Retiring to the comfort of The Wedgewood Room for 

coffee, guests and members of the public were treated to a 

lecture by Professor Robin Marshall. Professor Marshall is 

currently touring with a special lecture to mark the 

centenary of the discovery of the nucleus. The lecture 

highlighted the practicality and indeed, morality of nuclear 

power. It created the springboard for a fascinating 

discussion. 

A thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening evening was had 

by guests and the combination of a reunion with a popular 

lecture drew wonderful feedback and suggestions for future 

events. 

DIALOGUE 33

THE FURNESS FEAST 

Our third annual dinner for Harvard-Westlake alumni 

was held on 21 November (just as dialogue was about to go 

to press). 

The SSE (formerly BASS) scholarship is an opportunity for 

British school children to spend two or three terms in the 

final academic year of an American high school. It is the 

oldest running ESU programme, dating back to the early 

1920s, and had the aim of fostering relations between the 

British and American peoples at its heart. 

The dinner is open to all SSE alumni who attended 

Harvard-Westlake School in California during their time 

abroad as well as American H-W alumni living in London. 

Last year was well attended with 46 guests representing six 

decades of the programme between them and this year 

looked set to be no different! 

This time, we were delighted to welcome Tom Hudnut, 

President of Harvard-Westlake, who was due to travel 

straight from Boston from the American version of the 

annual alumni dinner. 

Alumni of Harvard-Westlake: the Furness Feast 2011 

1961 SSE SCHOLARSHIP 50th ANNIVERSARY 

Twenty-one fresh-faced youths line up on deck behind a 

lifebelt labelled ‘Queen Elizabeth’. It is the autumn of 

1961, and these schoolboys are off to the USA on a great 

adventure as English-Speaking Union Exchange Students. 

Of course, the Sixties had not yet begun to swing, so the 

schoolgirls selected for the year away went on a 

different vessel! 

direct result of my year at Mount Hermon School, 

Massachusetts, I met my (American) wife Kathy. I don’t 

think that Lillian Moore, the ESU’s then Director of 

Education, ever saw that as part of the scholarship 

programme!” 

Fifty years later, a dozen or so former students got together 

in London just after Thanksgiving to eat, drink and 

reminisce. Their careers range from headmasters to race 

horse trainers, members of the Royal Household to theatre 

administrators and journalists. They talked about their year 

at boarding schools across the USA and Canada but how 

did the ESU’s scheme change their lives 

Organiser Paul Wade, for one, has no doubt: “It completely 

changed me. It opened my eyes to a different way of life, to 

different points of view, and it also made me think about 

how we lived our lives in the UK.” 

Since then, as a travel writer and broadcaster, he has 

reported right across the USA. But that was not the most 

important effect. “It didn’t happen immediately, but as a 

SSE scholars aboard the Queen Elizabeth’s voyage to America in 1961 

DIALOGUE 34

IF IT WASN’T FOR THE ESU . . . ! 

We invited alumni to submit their own stories for our 

special feature - ‘If it wasn’t for the ESU...!’ - 

and we are delighted to be able to share with you 

some of the amazing ways they were able to finish that 

sentence. From furthering professional development 

to building lifelong personal relationships, our alumni 

certainly prove that the ESU continues to have a 

transformative effect on their lives. 

We would like to thank all those who 

contributed to this feature! 

‘I wouldn’t be spreading the values of debate and 

free speech around the world!’ 

At school, I was selected by the ESU to become a member 

of the England Schools’ Debating Team. In 2005, the team 

competed at the World Schools’ Debating Championships 

in Canada, reaching the grand final. The coaching I 

received from other ESU alumni during my time on the 

England team helped me to gain admission to Magdalen 

College, Oxford, where I studied Philosophy, Politics & 

Economics. 

Following graduate school at Harvard, I now work at a 

leading management consultancy firm with several other 

ESU alumni. My experiences with the ESU have genuinely 

been life-changing and as a result I owe the ESU a huge 

debt of gratitude. 

Andrew Goodman – Mongolia Debate Tour 2007 

At University, I was chosen by the ESU to participate in a 

tour of Mongolia where, along with the staff of ESU 

Mongolia, we introduced Mongolian students to speech and 

debate and provided political parties and NGOs with an 

overview of the importance of debate as a form of civic 

education. My experience as an ESU alumnus gave me the 

inspiration and credibility to set up QatarDebate with a 

fellow ESU alumnus. QatarDebate is a civic engagement 

initiative which aims to develop and support the standard of 

open discussion and debate among students and young 

people in Qatar and the broader Arab world. 

DIALOGUE 35

I would not have met my wife!’ 

The English-Speaking Union (of course) gave me a year in the USA as a boy of 17. 

But the English-Speaking Union gave me much else besides. For example, it was at the English-Speaking Union 

that I became involved with Ronald Fredenburgh, whose Current Affairs Unit gave regular 

Commonwealth Students’ Supper Parties, over which I sometimes presided if Ronald was away. At one of 

these Supper Parties (in late 1971), I met a chap from Poland called Emil Kowalski whom I visited in Krakow a 

couple of months later. There, amidst the snow of the Tatra Mountains, 

I met a girl called Aleksandra Wacwakik. 

My wife, in other words. 

Brian Marsh – SSE (formerly BASS) 1958 – 9 and President of the Alumni Association 

Emma Pinder and her fiancé Nash at the Buckingham Palace 

Commemorative Dinner 2011 

James Probert, as part of the England Schools 

Debating Team, 1999 

‘I wouldn’t have got the job!’ 

In 2009, I went for a job interview for a temporary position 

with the Treasury Solicitors. At the start of the interview, 

one of the interviewers looked over my CV and commented 

that he had also done the SSE with the ESU. I was 

immediately able to talk about how I had enjoyed my year 

at the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey, what I had 

gained from the experience and how that would help me in 

the role I was interviewing for. It was a great starting point 

for the interview as I instantly had something I could talk 

about that I knew the interviewer could relate to. A few 

days later, I was offered the job. Little did I know that this 

was a practice run for an interview I had three months later 

for a training position with the law firm Spring Law. 

Imagine my surprise (and delight) when this second 

interview started with the Managing Director informing me 

that he too had done the SSE with the ESU! I have been 

with Spring Law for two years now and have just been 

invited to stay on once I qualify as a solicitor in November 

2011. 

Emma Pinder – SSE (formerly BASS) 2001 

‘I wouldn’t have made friendships spanning 

fifteen years and half a dozen continents!’ 

If it were not for the ESU picking me for the England 

Schools Debating Team when I was 15, I wouldn’t have 

taken my first ever trip on an aeroplane; wouldn’t have left 

Europe for the first time to spend two weeks in Israel and 

Palestine arguing (in a very constructive way) with a group 

of some of the most extraordinary young people in the 

world; wouldn’t have made friendships with them spanning 

fifteen years and half a dozen continents. The experience 

left me with a store of self-confidence that has served me 

well ever since, and a passion for the people, ideas and 

organisations that I encountered that has led me to devote 

my working life and much of my free time to international 

and educational charities. These include the ESU itself, of 

which I’m a former employee and a proud member, and the 

World Schools Debating Championships, the destination of 

that first ever ESU-funded plane journey, of whose board 

of trustees I am now chair. I can say, without hesitation, that 

the ESU’s support for England’s national Schools Debating 

Team has changed almost every single aspect of my life for 

the better, and I like to think it was some of the best money 

they ever spent. 

James Probert – England Schools Debating Team 1999, 

Capitol Hill 2001 and ex-member of ESU staff 

DIALOGUE 36

‘I would not have rubbed shoulders with 

Putin, Arafat and Mandela!’ 

Elliot Beard at the Buckingham 

Palace Celebratory Dinner 

February 2011 

Although it may sound like hyperbole or exaggeration, the 

ESU and its programmes really do change the lives of 

young people. Forever. In my own case, the things that I 

have done and the thing that I am doing now, would likely 

not have been possible but for the time I spent on Capitol 

Hill in 1998 on an ESU scholarship. 

When I got to Capitol Hill in the summer of ‘98, I was sent 

to the office of Congressman Ed Royce of California. 

Congressman Royce was the head of the House Africa 

Sub-Committee and, at the time, he was a co-sponsor of a 

bill going through Congress called the ‘Africa Seeds of 

Hope Act’. The bill was facing virulent opposition from 

certain constituencies and Congressman Royce, one of its 

chief proponents, found himself making several 

impassioned speeches in its defence. Part of my role was to 

aid the Congressman’s speech writer, Gregory Simpkins, to 

write these speeches. I learned so much from Greg about 

how to write the spoken word and how to craft powerful 

rhetoric which would hopefully persuade and encourage 

initially unsympathetic minds to our cause. 

I left Capitol Hill that summer a different young man. A 

young man filled with ambition and enthusiasm for a bigger 

life outside of Scotland. Imbued with a sense of the wider 

world around me, I applied and won a scholarship from the 

St Andrew’s Society of the State of New York the next year 

which sent me to do a Masters at New York University in 

Manhattan. Whilst there, my experience with Congressman 

Royce was what helped me persuade Hillary Clinton’s 

Senate campaign team to hire me as their first intern (a role 

I turned down to intern with Global Strategy Group in 

Manhattan who were involved with Al Gore’s 2000 

presidential campaign pollster Harrison Hickman). Without 

my ESU scholarship, I would not have had those fantastic 

opportunities. 

A year later, I found my ESU experience on Capitol Hill 

catapulting me to the 38th Floor of the UN building on 

1st Avenue in New York City, where I worked as a speech 

writer for Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the UN. The 

team was small (I was one of five speech writers) and I got 

to write sections of important speeches on the Middle East, 

global economic policy and UN peacekeeping. I also got to 

rub shoulders with world leaders including Vladimir Putin, 

Yasser Arafat and Nelson Mandela. No doubt, it was a role 

that many talented young people applied for but I was able 

to persuade the team that because of my time on Capitol 

Hill and the speech writing experience I had there, I was 

best suited for the role. 

I left New York City in 2002, went to law school in London 

and Oxford and am currently a senior associate at the City 

law firm Herbert Smith. My experiences in the US as a 

DIALOGUE 37

young man (all generated from my time on the ESU’s 

Capitol Hill Scholarship) were doubtless, what helped me 

persuade the partners at my firm that I should be taken on 

as a trainee solicitor in 2004. 

Overall, ESU scholarships like this provide practical 

experiences for young people that are rare and exhilarating. 

They also act as a catalyst, setting talented young people off 

on a new track of bigger and better life experience. But, 

perhaps more important than that, they give young people 

confidence. Confidence that they belong in a high achieving 

world. Confidence that they are talented enough to achieve 

literally anything they want. And also the confidence and 

the understanding that one day, they can give back to their 

communities and help the next generation of young people 

unlock their full potential. 

It’s true in life that one or two experiences can make the 

difference. A watershed moment, a chance encounter, a 

moment of luck or high achievement, setting one off on a 

totally different path. My being awarded a scholarship by 

the ESU was one of those moments. They say the trick is 

knowing when these moments are occurring as they are 

occurring. Well, I still have my eyes open for the second 

one... 

Elliot Beard – Capitol Hill 1998 

SSE Lawrenceville alumni: Emma Pinder, Jen Lowthrop, Niroshee 

Bronebakk and Catherine-Maria King - at The Buckingham Palace 

Celebratory Dinner 

Steven Brindle at the Furness Feast 2010 

‘I would most definitely not have had the chance 

to speak at Buckingham Palace to an audience of 

150, including HRH Prince Phillip!’ 

It was such an incredible evening; having the opportunity to 

share the story of my time at The Lawrenceville School and 

how my year there completely changed my life. 

The evening will stay at the top of my list of amazing 

experiences forever, that and the actual year I was in 

America on my ESU Scholarship. To top off a brilliant 

evening I had the chance to catch up with three fellow 

Lawrenceville alumni and meet so many interesting and 

entertaining people. A sensational evening... I cannot thank 

the ESU enough for such a brilliant once-in-a-lifetime 

opportunity! 

‘I wouldn’t have gained a second family!’ 

If it wasn’t for the ESU, I wouldn’t have gone to school at 

Harvard High (now Harvard-Westlake) in 1981 and 

wouldn’t have been welcomed into their home by Tom and 

Cynthia Berne and their children, Susie, Katie and Johnny. 

They became - and remain - my American family. We have 

kept in close touch ever since. They have visited us over 

here, I have been back to the United States to visit them, 

more than 10 times, and am godfather to Johnny’s eldest 

son. Going to California gave me a lifelong love of the 

United States and the American people - and my muchloved 

second family. Way to go, ESU! As they say in the 

States. 

Steven Brindle – SSE (formerly BASS) 1981 – 82 

Jen Lowthrop – SSE (formerly BASS) 2003 – 04 

DIALOGUE 38

‘I would never have graduated from the 

University of Life!’ 

For me, all those years ago, the SSE Scholarship was an 

exciting and constructive way of avoiding taking A Levels 

(though I suspect that was never the scheme’s true 

intention)! After making a bit of a hash of my O Levels the 

first time round, and then successfully re-sitting them the 

following year, I realised that I was either going to have to 

stay on at school for an extra year or put my name in the 

hat to attempt to spend an exciting, potentially lifechanging, 

year in what Giovanni da Verrazano, Dvorak, 

d’Anghiera et al had dubbed the ‘New World’. 

My eight months at Cranbrook, one of America’s finest 

prep schools in an extraordinarily affluent town a mere 15 

miles from Detroit, was both a thrilling opportunity and, as 

it turned out, an eye-opener. My education was followed by 

three months traversing the States (in a car loaned by 

Chevrolet – a huge advantage of being at a school close to 

‘Motown’ where several of the governors were top dogs in 

the motor industry), which provided an opportunity for me 

to stand on my own feet three and a half thousand miles 

from home in a world still free of mobile telephones, faxes 

or e-mails. Until then, travel for me had been almost 

entirely restricted to family holidays in Europe, CCF camps 

in Germany and Denmark and a student train trip to 

Warsaw, Moscow and Leningrad (as of course it still was in 

1965). 

Since my scholarship, the US has become almost a second 

home - indeed, I did once resist the strong temptation of 

acquiring one in Manhattan way back in the ‘boom times’! 

I reckon I have now crossed the pond well over 40 times. 

Furthermore, having been to school in the relatively remote 

Midwest, many of my classmates moved on to the major 

cities around their nation to pursue their livelihoods and 

careers. Thus, my scholarship has also provided me with 

years of happy experiences visiting them all over the 

country. Having been Chairman of the Stowe alumni body 

a few years back, I even spent a contemporaneous spell as 

the European representative on Cranbrook’s Alumni 

Council – not a bad double! 

And that ‘degree’ from the aforementioned ‘University of 

Life’ Modesty aside, it has proved to be summa cum laude. 

Thank you, ESU! 

John Fingleton – SSE (formerly BASS) 1967 – 8 

DIALOGUE 39

Rhea Saksena 

‘I would not have learnt the power of the 

individual!’ 

At times of crises, perhaps like ones being flashed across 

news screens today, the might of abstract inevitabilities can 

seem too large to be affected by the actions of individuals. 

My time spent with the English-Speaking Union has urged 

me to think otherwise. Discovering the importance of 

speaking out was an invaluable lesson I learnt from my 

interactions with the ESU. As an apprehensive 15 year-old, 

I was amazed at the response I could get simply by voicing 

my inner thoughts. For me, this was important in learning 

how to effectively communicate a message to an audience. 

Through the platform provided by the ESU, I have been 

able to explore, clarify and refine my ideas through the 

National Schools Public Speaking Competition. 

Furthermore, the concept of the ESU truly being a ‘union’ 

became apparent through time spent volunteering at the 

International Relations Conference 2011. Discovering how 

inter-connected ideas and values are on a global level has 

promoted an understanding of complex national identities. 

In addition, the importance of communication was taken 

further: from discovering, I now had to learn how to use my 

voice to exchange ideas and learn from others. The 

opportunity to hear experts in the field discuss topics such as 

leadership transitions in China, the role of the media in the 

Arab Spring and the politics behind climate change was a 

unique insight into the challenges facing the future and how 

we can attempt to resolve them now. Throughout my 

experiences, a consistent message has been not to 

underestimate the power of the individual. 

So, despite looming threats of impending doom, these 

lessons the ESU has taught me could not have been more 

relevant, and have been instrumental in shaping my outlook 

for the future. 

Niroshee and Jakob Bronebakk at their wedding reception 

at ESU Dartmouth House 

‘We wouldn’t have had such a wonderful 

wedding!’ 

We wanted a ceilidh to make sure that our Scots, 

Lancastrian, American and Norwegian guests would not be 

too shy to dance, but St Paul’s Cathedral could not 

accommodate this because of the evening mass. We then 

remembered the beautiful surroundings of ESU Dartmouth 

House, where we had been for election night, and where I 

still remember walking up the big marble staircase for the 

ESU scholarship selection interviews at age 16. 

The people at ESU Dartmouth House put on a great show 

and many of my friends from Lawrenceville (where I went 

on my SSE scholarship) came over for the big day. The ESU 

alumni office even remembered me and sent us a wedding 

present. 

Niroshee Bronebakk – SSE (formerly BASS) 1993 - 4 

Rhea Saksena - National Schools Public Speaking Competition and 

International Relations Conference intern 2011 

DIALOGUE 40

‘I wouldn’t have met Barack Obama!’ 

Jamie Brockbank with President 

(then Senator) Obama 

The story goes back to summer 2006, when I was one of 

10 UK students taking part in the Capitol Hill internship 

programme. As an intern placed in the Republican office of 

the House Committee for Education and the Workforce, I 

soon realised that my lack of formal tasks combined with a 

security pass giving me unfettered access to the Capitol 

Complex, meant I had an unprecedented opportunity to 

seek out the movers and shakers of this intensely political 

city. Thanks to my sympathetic boss - the Director of 

Communications and a former intern himself - I seized the 

chance, for instance, to listen to Committee hearings of 

interest, gate crash a press conference that (then Senator) 

Hillary Clinton was giving about high gasoline prices or 

scour fringe lobbying events for free snacks and drinks. 

Over a beer one night, fellow ESU intern Jonathan Bailey 

mentioned he’d heard that Senators Durbin and Obama 

ran a weekly Thursday morning breakfast for Illinois 

constituents passing through DC. While the older Dick 

Durbin was the Senate Minority Whip, both Jon and I were 

far more interested in hearing his much-vaunted younger 

colleague after his stirring “One America” speech at the 

Democratic National Convention. 

Jon and I managed to kick our 21-year old student sleeping 

habits and haul ourselves out of bed to join the queue at the 

grand Senate meeting room. The great and good of 

Lincoln’s state seemed to have turned out in force. Aided by 

Jon’s stellar Democrat credentials as a Kennedy intern (and 

my concealment that I was in fact interning for the ‘Dark 

Side’ of the party of Bush and co.), we were treated as VIP 

guests, ushered to our seats and revived from our slumbers 

with bagels and coffee. 

The Senators then duly bounded in, giving pumping 

handshakes to seemingly long-lost friends (or rather, 

prospective voters) in the crowd. They launched into their 

pitch about how marvellous the good folk of Illinois were 

and how honoured they were to represent them as Senators. 

While Durbin was an impressive politician in his own right, 

it was clear that it was Obama who possessed star quality. 

He showed an ability to mix a personable, folksy charm – 

which belied some media portrayals today of his supposed 

aloofness - with an intellectual drive and enticing vision of 

change. He combined these qualities when he gave a 

rallying cry for the importance of America ending its 

dependence on foreign oil from often, despotic regimes by 

promoting the use of ethanol fuels instead; conveniently 

produced by corn-belt states like Illinois. It was an 

impressive display of Obama’s ability to blend high 

principles with populism. 

And as an audience, we warmed to him and there were 

shouts of “We Love you Barack!” and even of “Barack for 

President”, although the latter was chuckled at openly as 

anyone who knew anything about American politics knew 

that a black man would never get elected President... but 

while this barrier has been smashed, Obama’s vision of an 

ethanol-fuelled America has fared less well in the face of 

economic obstacles; rather like his entire Presidency. 

With the talking out of the way, the all- important photo 

shoot could begin, orchestrated with military precision. 

While Jon’s audacious attempt to invite Obama to speak at 

his alma mater, the Oxford Union, was politely turned 

down, we both got the chance to press the flesh and be 

snapped for souvenir photos of a remarkable morning. 

During the November 2008 Presidential election, in an act 

of solidarity (or rather shameless self-publicity), I posted this 

very photograph as my Facebook profile picture. A friend 

posted on my wall to express mock envy, before suggesting I 

had been spending too much time at Madame Tussauds. 

So, it was rather satisfying to remind her that there is no 

such thing in Washington DC and to then see her 

astonishment as the penny finally dropped. If it hadn’t have 

been for the ESU granting me a place on the Capitol Hill 

internship programme, then her scepticism would have 

been vindicated. I would have had to settle for the waxwork 

instead, which would be a far less interesting story to tell my 

grandchildren one day. 

Jamie Brockbank - Capitol Hill 2006 

DIALOGUE 41

Clark McGinn 

Roderick Chamberlain (far left) and Tony Poole (second from right) 

aboard the Queen Mary commencing their SSE (formerly BASS) 

scholarship in 1963 

‘I wouldn’t have discovered a cross-section of 

America!’ 

Debaters learn pretty early on how dangerous clichés can 

be, so the simple statement – ‘going on the ESU debating 

tour of the US changed my life’ - would be expected to be 

debating hyperbole were it not utterly true. In 1981, I was 

studying at Glasgow (or at least attending as many classes as 

could be fitted in between debates) and had just convened 

the first World Student Debating Championship, so when 

the invitation came to apply for the tour, it seemed like a 

great way to continue a year’s debating. 

It was much, much more than that. The ability to research, 

construct, articulate and defend a case is a crucial human 

skill, but much of student debating is a day in a chamber 

with like-minded people. When we went on the tour my 

debate partner, Mark Bishop, and I not only spoke in 20 

states over eleven weeks, but for the first time we 

experienced directly a true cross-section of American 

cultures and so came to understand how complex the USA 

is – and how deep and diverse its political and cultural 

relationship is with the UK. 

The defining factor of the tour is its length and breadth – 

often debating in cities in America that most Americans 

haven’t visited. That range gave me insights and friendships 

which have been of value to me over my career and 

throughout my personal life. Just like my fellow alumni 

stretching back to 1928 - and I hope it will be for those who 

will share this in the future through the ESU’s crucial 

mission. 

‘I would not be planning the 50th anniversary of 

my friendship!’ 

If it wasn’t for the ESU I would not be planning the 50th 

anniversary of my friendship with Tony Pooley, in 

September 2013. We met aboard the ‘Queen Mary’ in 

September 1963, he en route from Charterhouse to 

Hotchkiss, I from Radley to Harvard (now Harvard- 

Westlake). Return dates in those days were random, so it 

was chance that we came back together on the ‘Queen 

Elizabeth’ – and chance again that we discovered we were 

both going up to Trinity College, Cambridge on return. 

Through the ensuing decades of marriage, parenthood, 

various expatriations and latterly grandparenthood, not 

only have we remained the closest of friends, but our wives 

and children have too. For several years we all spent 

Christmas together, shamelessly arranging this in 

midsummer to stave off Royal Command Performance 

invitations from families! 

More recently, we have both served as trustees of a major 

Hampshire-based disability charity, Enham: no coincidence 

again, since I brought Tony on to the board to share his 

marketing and branding expertise. In early November, I 

stepped down as Chairman after six years, the leaving 

dinner of which Tony attended. Who knows We may need 

to commandeer ESU Dartmouth House for the Golden 

Anniversary party... 

Rod Chamberlain – SSE (formerly BASS) 1963 – 4 and ESU 

Governor 

Clark McGinn - US Debate Tour in 1981, John Smith Memorial 

Mace (formerly The Observer Mace) 1982, Chairman of the ESU 

Debating Society from 1987 – 1993 and part of the Speech & 

Debate Committee and the Selection Team for the ESU US 

Debating Tour 

DIALOGUE 42

BRANCHES 

– Inside 

The UK branches of the ESU provide a stimulating range 

of events and programmes often inspiring ESU DH to turn 

local endeavours into national ones. 

East_44 

Midlands_47 

North East_48 

North West_49 

South East_49 

London_51 

Wales_52 

South_52 

South West_53 

Regional Diary_55 

DIALOGUE 43

EDITORIAL 

Branches Conference 2011 

The 2011 Branches Conference was 

an extremely successful event. Held at 

the Cheltenham Park Hotel, delegates 

welcomed our Chairman, Dame 

Mary Richardson, and the new 

Director-General, Peter Kyle. 

Peter opened the conference by 

promising to visit branches on a 

regular basis to listen to members and 

to offer support. A number of matters 

were discussed at the conference and 

delegates were informed that the ESU 

will not hold the Churchill Lecture 

this year but will examine the idea of 

it being part of the members’ 

conference in future years. The Board 

has been reviewing the future of 

Dartmouth House, which remains 

central to the identity of the ESU, and 

plans to rethink the membership areas 

of the building. Other matters 

discussed included possible plans to 

celebrate the Queen’s Diamond 

Jubilee and thoughts about the ESU’s 

centenary celebrations in 2018. 

In addressing recent concerns from 

members, Dame Mary outlined that 

members should naturally have a right 

to ask questions of the Board of 

Governors, a right to expect an 

answer and an obligation to hold the 

Board to account. In reference to the 

Board and its committees, delegates 

were informed that all Governors have 

seats on Board committees and are 

required to commit to holding branch 

clinics and report back to the Board 

on these consultations. 

A new Audit and Risk Committee has 

been set up as has a Royal Charter 

working group which would look to 

revise certain technical aspects of the 

Charter and bring proposals to the 

Governors and the members for 

consultation. After this any proposals 

would be submitted to the Privy 

Council for consideration. 

Richard Oldham outlined the role, 

business and composition of the 

National Council for England and 

Wales and announced membership of 

a working party to examine its future 

role in detail. Dame Mary said that 

Steve Hodkinson, the new Board 

Secretary, would serve on that group. 

The conference was told that the 

building of the new website was 

completed and in the future, there will 

be a branch administration zone, 

better navigation and a ‘myESU 

facility to enable members to update 

and correct their personal data. 

Branch officers will be able to enter 

their own branch news and 

information directly to the website 

with editing privileges retained by 


Two very enjoyable dinners were held 

with entertainment being provided on 

the first night by the harpist Jemima 

Phillips, and on the second night by 

the novelist Sarah Harrison. An 

optional excursion took place on the 

Saturday afternoon to Chavenage, an 

old Elizabethan house, where 

delegates were shown around by the 

family. 

Branch Awards: 

The Hardacre Trophy to Ouse Valley 

The ESU Media Award to South Wales 

The Gavel for the highest percentage 

increase in membership to 

Southend-on-Sea 

The ESU Membership Prize to 

South Wales 

The NCEW Prize to London 

The Lord Watson Award to York 

The Valerie Mitchell Award to London 

EAST REGION 

Cambridge Welland Valley 

The Cambridge Welland Valley AGM 

was held in September at the Hunting 

Lodge Hotel, Cottingham, with guest 

speaker Dame Mary Richardson. The 

title of her enlightening talk was ‘The 

ESU Today and Beginning the Road 

Map’. 

The Bridge Lunch in October, was 

well supported again and is proving to 

be a popular event in our calendar. 

The ESU Speech and Debate 

department held two public speaking 

workshops for schools in our area, one 

at St Mary’s School in Cambridge 

when six local schools were invited to 

attend; the second was held at The 

English Martyr’s Catholic School in 

Leicester with ten schools invited. 

Our Thanksgiving Dinner was held on 

Thanksgiving Day at The Hunting 

Lodge Hotel, Cottingham with guest 

speaker J Simmonds who gave us a 

talk entitled: ‘Lincoln – Life and 

Language’ which was enjoyed by 

members and their guests. 

DIALOGUE 44

BRANCHES 

Colchester and Northeast Essex 

Geraldine Watson planting the Wollemi pine 

An afternoon event was held to mark 

the service of Geraldine Watson, 

former Chairman of the Colchester & 

Northeast Essex Branch on 4 June. 

Janet Edwards, Vice-Chairman and 

her husband, Colin, kindly opened 

their home in Ardleigh, to host a 

garden party for around 30 members. 

Special guests were Steve Roberts, 

Regional Officer and Margaret Furst, 

Secretary of the East Region, who 

brought a message from Alexander 

Finnis, President of the Suffolk 

branch. Current branch Chairman, 

Brian Cooke, referred to Geraldine as 

“a true ambassador of the ESU” 

before proposing a toast to her many 

years of service. Margaret Furst 

acknowledged Geraldine’s depth of 

knowledge of ESU matters, recording 

her thanks for the guidance she herself 

had received. Prof James Raven, 

branch President concluded the 

speeches with an optimistic view of 

the future of the ESU, embracing the 

qualities exemplified by Geraldine. 

Brian announced the planting of a 

Wollemi pine tree in her honour in 

due course, while Janet presented a 

bouquet on the day. There was also a 

special presentation of a bottle of wine 

to David Watson, Geraldine’s 

husband, who served as Branch 

Treasurer over a lengthy period and 

undertook the video recording of 

several ESU events. 

Brian and Chris Newton, Branch 

Secretary, attended the England & 

Wales final of the Public Speaking 

Competition on 7 May, introducing 

two students from Colchester to the 

competition, Chiyiang ‘Ada’ Chao, 

from Taiwan and Soo-Yeon Lee, from 

South Korea. They enjoyed the 

afternoon, which gave them the 

opportunity to meet a range of 

members over brunch as well as 

listening practice during the 

competition. 

In October, a total of around 30 

members and students were 

entertained by pianist Matyas Bacso at 

Colchester English Study Centre. 

Matyas played a variety of music 

including jazz standards and 

Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue as well 

as his own compositions. Brian 

interviewed the Hungarian performer 

about his personal background and 

musical career. There was an interval, 

which allowed members of the 

audience to meet each other and 

network. 

In November, Colchester & Northeast 

Essex Branch held a public speaking 

competition for local international 

students at Colchester English Study 

Centre. The event attracted seven 

entries, split into two groups, relating 

to the participants’ level of English. 

Two participants in group 1 (the more 

elementary level learners) spoke on a 

topic of their choice for two minutes 

and they were declared joint winners. 

Those in the other group spoke twice 

for three minutes, first on a choice of 

one of four prescribed topics. The 

votes of the audience decided the 

winner which resulted in a tie between 

two entrants. Brian presented prizes 

worth £20 each to Elisabetta Santoru 

from Italy and Marzoog Alhothaly 

from Saudi Arabia in the level one 

group and Jaein Yoon from South 

Korea and Ales Perlik from the Czech 

Republic from the level two group. 

The event was followed by the branch 

AGM, where Bob Foster was elected 

to the committee. 

Hertfordshire 

Peter Kyle 

We began the Autumn Programme 

with a visit to the Theatre Royal, 

Windsor in September and a series of 

concerts in the National Gallery. 

Our Celebrity Dinner was held at 

Porters Park Golf Club in November 

and our guest speaker was Peter Kyle. 

The format for the talk was more of a 

dialogue than a formal address; 

initially with Nigel Rogers, our 

Chairman who began by asking about 

Peter’s early life in the North-East and 

how that lead on to his involvement 

with Shakespeare and the Globe 

Theatre. Peter then went on to answer 

questions about the ESU from the 

audience, some of whom were not 

members, in an inspiring and 

interesting way. This led to several of 

our guests asking for membership 

application forms! Our Patron, Sir 

Simon Bowes Lyon and Lady Caroline 

were also present, and very keen to 

talk to Peter about the future direction 

of the ESU, in particular the Schools’ 

Public Speaking Competition, as Sir 

Simon has for many years attended 

our branch final and been impressed 

by the high standard of the teams’ 

presentations. 

DIALOGUE 45

BRANCHES 

Norwich and Norfolk 

Our AGM was held in July. The 

Chairman began by asking for a 

minute’s silence for our late President, 

Bill Wuest, who passed away last 

November. After the usual business the 

election of officers took place. The 

committee was re-elected unanimously 

to stand ‘en bloc’ for a further year. 

We welcomed Melvyn Roffe, 

Headmaster of Wymondham College, 

who was elected as our new President. 

He delivered a short speech in which 

he highlighted that he had been an 

ESU member for many years and was 

delighted to accept the position. 

Our usual visit to the Cromer Pier 

Show took place in early September. 

Once again we had a fish and chip 

lunch prior to the show! 

Our new year began in September 

with a talk by Silvia Dowrick entitled 

‘Bangles and Booze’. Silvia makes and 

sells magnetic jewellery and she 

explained how magnets in jewellery 

can be beneficial for aches and pains. 

The jewellery was lovely and many 

members purchased some of her 

items. Her husband runs the ‘Booze’ 

side of things and she brought along 

some of the homemade liqueurs made 

by him. Of course we had to sample 

them! 

In October, Stephen Ashworth from 

the Chemistry Department at the 

University of East Anglia gave us a 

talk entitled ‘Lies, Damned Lies and 

Statistics’. It was an interesting and 

entertaining talk, involving us all in 

experiments to illustrate the 

fundamentals of statistics. Why didn’t 

we have this topic taught in this fun 

way when we were at school 

Ouse Valley 

The pioneering competitors and their teachers 

In 2010, as in previous years, we 

attracted only a handful of secondary 

schools to our public speaking heats, 

and I wondered again whether the 

ESU should be introducing these 

activities at an earlier age to create a 

better foundation for the future. The 

next day I retrieved from my files a 

leaflet on the ESU ‘Discover Your 

Voice’ scheme for the primary sector, 

and a project to introduce public 

speaking to Year 4 (8/9 year old) 

students in Bedford began to take 

shape. 

The early steps in the process were 

reported in previous copies of dialogue 

(June 2010 pp36/37 and March 2011 

pp46/47). We arranged training days 

(delivered by the ESU Speech and 

Debate department) for the 13 

interested schools, four or so at a time. 

In addition some branch members 

worked alongside the mentors. The 

teachers also received training with the 

intention that each teacher would 

subsequently cascade these skills to 

their year 4 groups during the 2011 

Spring Term, and work towards an 

inter-school competition the following 

summer. 

As follow-up support, all schools were 

issued with copies of the Key Stage 2 

resource book from the ESU’s 

‘Discover Your Voice’ teaching 

materials, plus sets of our own 

pre-prepared teacher help sheets based 

on popular activities, with writing 

frames to guide the children. An 

e-mail help-line was also established. 

The competition day took place at 

Bedford School in June 2011 and ten 

schools made it through to the 

competition. Schools were allocated 

their topic beforehand from six 

preferences previously selected from a 

long list. 

In contrast to the secondary 

competition, teams were called 

forward in pairs (pairings and topics 

were known beforehand); to encourage 

teamwork all participants could 

prompt their own members if they 

were stuck. Each questioner asked at 

least four questions of the other team 

on the topic. No time limits were 

imposed, as previous experience 

suggested that the complete sequence 

for a school was unlikely to exceed five 

minutes. Three experienced ESU 

members (all former teachers) acted as 

judges, and our Regional Officer was 

conscripted to ask an extra question of 

each team on behalf of the ESU at 

the end of every presentation. 

DIALOGUE 46

The children rose to the challenge 

with great aplomb. After a slightly 

nervous start, confidence grew, notes 

were set aside, speeches flowed and 

questions became more demanding. 

There were some sparkling 

presentations by speakers, examples of 

very good chairmanship, and many 

challenging questions posed. It was 

really quite inspirational. 

All present – children, teachers and 

ESU members - judged it a great 

success, and so we are repeating the 

project in 2011-2012. Over 500 

children were involved in public 

speaking activities for a whole term on 

this first occasion – not a bad start I 

am sure you will agree. 

A short DVD of edited highlights from 

the competition can be viewed on the 

Ouse Valley web pages 

Tony Wood, Chairman, Ouse Valley branch 

Suffolk 

enjoyed the event at Alexander’s home 

in Barton Mills. 

Alexander, with the able help of Leo 

Hamilton-Hoole, worked very hard to 

make it a day we would remember – 

the sun shone, (another sign of 

Alexander’s genius perhaps!) and, as 

usual, the sound of the band playing 

jazz wafted over the superb Italianate 

garden while we sipped champagne, 

ate delicious canapés and engaged in a 

huge range of conversations, greeting 

old friends and meeting new ones. 

This year, Alexander added an extra 

magic ingredient to his Garden Party 

recipe – the guest of honour was Peter 

Kyle, the ESU’s new Director- 

General. Peter’s presence was 

welcomed by us all. 

With Peter and our Chairman, Dame 

Mary, we feel sure that the 

organisation is in good hands and we 

look ahead with confidence. 

MIDLANDS REGION 

Gloucestershire 

Warm sunshine and the sound of live 

jazz greeted everyone as they arrived 

at our annual summer garden party at 

the Dumbleton, Gloucestershire, 

home of Committee Member, Jenny 

Hunter. 

As a branch we sponsor the 

Gloucestershire Youth Jazz Band and, 

as always, we were not disappointed 

with the performance of eight 

members of the band. Their chosen 

professions vary from doctors, dentists, 

lawyers, teachers and musicians, and 

their musical ability and joy of 

entertaining never ceases to give us 

great pleasure. 

Members from the Worcestershire and 

Birmingham branches joined us for 

the party, together with Sonia Chance, 

the Regional Chairman. Austin 

Millington, our Chairman, thanked 

Jenny for once again welcoming us 

into her home and garden. We have 

been to her home several times for 

events and we all appreciate her warm 

hospitality. 

Any young person receiving a branch 

scholarship should have their main 

home in Gloucestershire, and we 

encourage local young people to 

contact us about scholarships. 

Garden Party guests 

Invitations to our annual garden party 

hosted by our region President are 

eagerly awaited; Alexander Finnis is 

renowned as an excellent host. This 

year’s event on 7 August was, as 

always, arranged to perfection. One 

hundred and forty five guests, 

representing all eight of the branches 

in the Region, plus their guests, 

DIALOGUE 47

BRANCHES 

Oxfordshire 

The Oxfordshire Branch of the ESU 

held a very successful dinner event in 

September at St Edwards Hall in 

Oxford. The guest of honour and 

speaker was Peter Bazalgette, creator 

and founding genius of Bazal 

Productions and responsible for 

Innovative TV whose programme 

remit includes Ground Force and Big 

Brother amongst many others. Peter 

took those present on an entertaining 

journey through British TV, citing 

some of the most popular shows of the 

time as examples as to how the 

entertainment genre has changed. 

Not content to provide those present 

with purely a speech, Peter entered 

into a very lively debate about the 

nature of popular TV and thoughts 

for the future, taking a variety of 

questions from the audience. With a 

speech entitled ‘Communication, 

Communication, Communication’ it 

was simply ‘Brilliant, Brilliant, 

Brilliant!’ 

NORTH EAST REGION 

Lincolnshire 

Matthew Parris, Gunilla Carlbom and 

Douglas Hogg 

The Lincolnshire branch of the ESU 

held its Annual Literary Dinner on 20 

May at RAF College Cranwell with 

the kind permission of Air 

Commodore P N Oborn. 

Guests arrived at 6 pm for a tour of 

the college, followed by drinks in the 

Rotunda. Some 160 members and 

their guests enjoyed the dinner, and 

the special atmosphere of College 

Hall. The welcome address was given 

by Sir Michael Graydon, branch 

Chairman, who introduced the guest 

of honour, Matthew Parris. Matthew 

spoke amusingly about his life and 

times and provided splendid 

entertainment. Afterwards, he signed 

his book Parting Shots which was eagerly 

purchased by many. In addition, we 

were delighted to have Meriel Talbot 

and Annette Fisher with us from ESU 


On 8 July, under the kind auspices of 

Douglas and Sarah Hogg, the AGM 

of the branch was held at Kettlethorpe 

Church and a reception was held at 

the Hall afterwards. Tony Worth, Lord 

Lieutenant of Lincolnshire and the 

branch President, presided over the 

AGM. David Richardson Eames, 

having been Treasurer for some 21 

years, retired and his role was taken on 

by Andrew Wallis. Sir Michael was 

elected to stay for another year as 

Chairman and Douglas was elected to 

the committee; Shervie Price stood 

down. 

York and District 

In August, Ellen Coles and I attended 

the celebration dinner for the ESU’s 

International Relations Conference 

and Globe Seminar. York branch had 

sponsored a delegate from Russia and 

we were looking forward to meeting 

her. The evening, a lovely warm 

summer one, began with drinks in the 

courtyard and we had the opportunity 

to meet not only several of the 

delegates but also our new Chairman, 

Dame Mary. There was some short 

entertainment by actors from the 

Globe who acted a scene from Romeo 

& Juliet. This was followed throughout 

the evening by Globe Seminar 

delegates from different countries 

performing the same scene in their 

own language, a novel idea, which we 

all enjoyed. 

Patricia Cook, Chairman York Branch 

DIALOGUE 48

NORTH WEST REGION 

Liverpool and Merseyside 

Henry Tudor with President Elizabeth Steel 

and Michael Shankland, Branch Chairman 

It was as if Holbein’s portrait of 

Henry VIII had stepped out of its 

frame at the Walker Gallery and 

caught the train to Ormskirk to regale 

our September lunch with tortuous 

tales of infidelity. Every inch a King, 

he helped swell the Rattle Fund thanks 

to the efforts of Betty Benson, Patrick 

Waite and the Ormskirk crew. Talking 

of the Walker Art Gallery, by the time 

you read this members, you will have 

seen the ‘Wonders of the Walker’ 

including Henry VIII, Nelson, the 

pre- Raphaelites and part of the 

Roscoe Collection. In addition many 

of you were deeply moved by 

Schubert’s Octet at the Philharmonic 

Hall which suggests the lunchtime 

concerts could become a new tradition 

for the branch. 

An established tradition of the branch 

is the Christmas lunch which was 

graced this year by HH Judge Jon 

Roberts whose outrageous stories 

make me glad not to have crossed wits 

with him in court! 

In January we can look forward to (or 

dread!) Ken Pye’s ‘Bloody History of 

Liverpool’. Survivors may buy a 

signed copy of his latest book! Next, 

Paul Crossey will take us away from all 

that to ‘Settings of Beauty: Italian 

Cities of Art’. An experienced 

international tour guide, art historian 

and musician, Paul has forgotten more 

than I ever knew about Italy. While 

we’re on the subject of memory loss, 

in March, Andrew Curran, a 

consultant brain specialist will explain 

‘How the brain works and how to keep 

it working’. Those members who 

attend the ESU mace final at 

Liverpool Town Hall will have seen 

Andrew’s son awarded the prize for 

best speaker. 

Later in the year Baron Mike Storey 

will try to explain ‘What the Lords do 

for us!’ and our own Anthony Quinn 

will feature in the Athenaeum/ESU 

Literary Lunch reading from Half the 

Human Race which is published in 

paperback in May. He is keen to 

discuss themes from the book with us 

so please bring lots of questions. 

Six Liverpool members attended the 

Branches Conference at Cheltenham 

in October. It was encouraging to 

meet the new Chairman, Dame Mary 

Richardson and Director-General, 

Peter Kyle and hear of the huge 

changes achieved in such a short time 

which has given a genuine surge of 

energy to the organisation. It was 

affirming to hear comments such as 

“members are the soul of the 

organisation”; “the membership is the 

ESU” and, from Dame Mary, “our 

values are held in safety by the 

members.” 

Michael Shankland, Chairman, Liverpool 

branch 

SOUTH EAST REGION 

Annual Literary Lunch at Chartwell 

Hugo Vickers 

The Duchess of Windsor was brought 

back to uneasy life at our annual 

Chartwell Literary Luncheon by Hugo 

Vickers, author, lecturer and 

acknowledged expert on the Royal 

Family. The ascent of Wallis Warfield, 

born in a humble cottage in 

Pennsylvania, to the inner sanctums of 

British Royalty is told in his recent 

publication, Behind Closed Doors. The 

particular value of his story lies in the 

detailed and deeply disturbing account 

of her last years; perhaps of more 

significance is his study of the real 

causes of the abdication and of 

whether the Duke was unconsciously 

seeking to escape from his destiny. 

Our members seized their opportunity 

to probe our speaker on many aspects 

of this constitutional earthquake, now 

75 years ago but still capable of 

generating passionate debate. 

DIALOGUE 49

BRANCHES 

Brighton and Hove 

Lord Hattersley`s enthusiasm for a 

whirlwind tour of the life of David 

Lloyd-George, at our October 

meeting, was contagious. From the 

moment he got to his feet, and without 

any ‘padding’ or notes, he raced 

through a streamlined version of this 

supremely enigmatic character, for 

whom he obviously harbours a great 

admiration. 

Yes, indeed – the “Welsh wizard” was 

“the most authentic radical this 

country has ever produced,” he was a 

man of “passionate enthusiasm, a free 

spirit,” “the first working-class man to 

become Prime Minister” and so on. 

Lord Hattersley traced his subject’s 

extraordinary career from his early 

days as a small-town solicitor in Wales, 

through his radical reforms in the 

early years of the last century, his 

eventual premiership in the First 

World War and thereafter, until the 

eventual split-up of the post-war 

coalition and the demise of the Liberal 

Party and his own sad journey 

downhill. 

His visit marked the yearly Joyce Rolfe 

Memorial lecture and the audience 

accorded him a deserved ovation. Yet 

perhaps Hattersley was at his most 

appealing when he answered quite a 

barrage of questions off-the-cuff. 

There we saw the seasoned statesman, 

alert and able to deal with any query 

on his feet, without pause. 

DIALOGUE 50 

Canterbury and East Kent 

Professor Stephen Pickett with Ann Peerless 

This season started with Stephen 

Pickett giving a fascinating talk on the 

King James’ Bible which prompted many 

lively questions from the audience, a 

mixture of ESU members and the 

King’s School Society; this was a joint 

evening held in King’s School, 

Canterbury. 

In October, we held ‘The Shakespeare 

Experience’ when a number of tutors 

came down from the Globe Education 

Team and ran a series of workshops 

and lectures throughout the day, as 

part of the Canterbury Festival. This 

attracted many students from a wide 

range of schools across our region and 

was a successful, worthwhile and 

enjoyable day. 

Eastbourne 

The autumn season began with a 

delightful afternoon tea in the home 

of Patricia King and an interesting 

talk and demonstration of water 

colour painting by Gillian Toft, a well 

known local artist. 

Meanwhile our indefatigable leader, 

Sarah Carr, has attended a great 

number of ESU events in her capacity 

as Chairman, including a well 

attended Literary Lunch at Chartwell, 

the Branches Conference, the House 

of Lords Tea Party and River Cruise 

and much more as well. The 4th of 

July Garden Party at the home of our 

President, Jane Mitchell and her 

husband, was a great success with 

some wonderful weather. The next 

important event on our programme 

was a Thanksgiving dinner in 

November. Alan Lee Williams was the 

speaker. 

A full programme for 2012 is already 

in hand and we are looking forward to 

an exciting year with the introduction 

of several new events. 

Guildford and District 

The small ‘holding’ committee are 

currently engaged organising the 

Guildford area Public Speaking 

Competition for Schools. Fifteen 

schools have entered this popular ESU 

event from as far apart as Petersfield to 

Chertsey, Epsom to Haslemere. The 

District Final will be held at The 

Guildhall, Guildford on 8 February at 

6pm to which members are invited. 

Volunteer Stewards from among 

members will be especially welcome 

- particularly those with First Aid 

experience. For a seat at the District 

Final or to volunteer for stewarding 

duties please telephone 01483 449 

669; seating is limited and so a ‘first 

call’ system will operate.

West Sussex 

In June, a dozen members met at the 

Bank of England Museum in London, 

learning about the history of currency, 

interest rates and other financial 

matters. This was followed by a walk 

to the Monument, designed by Sir 

Christopher Wren, where three of the 

party climbed the 311 steps to the top 

for an aerial view of the city. The visit 

ended with a visit to Tower Bridge, 

with a walk over the upper section and 

a look at the engine room. 

In July, we were treated to an ‘after 

closure’ tour of Petworth House. Our 

guide took us round the house showing 

us some of the great paintings by 

Turner, Van Dyck and others that are 

the treasures of Petworth. 

The September event was a talk by 

Barry Shears on ‘The Business of Art 

in Renaissance Venice’ and in 

October, a group of about 20 visited 

the D-Day Museum and Southsea 

Castle, before lunching at the Royal 

Naval Club in Portsmouth. 

All these activities helped to raise 

funds to enable us to give £600 to the 

last International Relations 

Conference and £300 for the 


Competition. 

LONDON REGION 

Holly Shakespeare, Don Miller 

and Colin Dexter 

A very busy time for London Region 

with many highlights during the last 

few months: 

Early in August, we had a talk by 

author Patricia Friedberg to introduce 

her latest book 21 Aldgate. This book 

illustrates the close relationship of the 

artist Paul Maze with his painting 

companion, Sir Winston Churchill, in 

the war years. 

Then later in the month, we had a 

visit to Strawberry Hill House, home 

of Horace Walpole, son of the one 

time Premier Sir Robert Walpole. 

Having received a grant following the 

TV programme Restoration, the house 

has been rebuilt in the original style, 

and the visit was greatly enjoyed by 

our members. 

In October, we were oversubscribed 

for a visit to the Royal Courts of 

Justice, a couple of hours well spent, 

which covered the history and the 

architecture of this really interesting 

building. This is a visit which may well 

repeat in years to come, to try to 

satisfy those we could not 

accommodate on the day. 

And finally, we have just had a brilliant 

and very amusing talk by Colin 

Dexter, author of the great Inspector 

Morse novels. Like his alter ego 

Morse, Colin is a crossword addict, 

and he talked about his latest book 

Cracking Cryptic Crosswords. For this 

event, London Region was delighted 

to welcome the Chairman and 

Director-General, Dame Mary and 

Peter Kyle, as well as great friends of 

Colin’s Sir Jeremy and Lady Morse, 

who gave the Inspector his name. 

Finally, we are working with the ESU’s 

Speech and Debate department on an 

exciting new plan for a Performing 

Shakespeare competition, covering the 

8 and 9 years age group. The finals are 

due to take place at Dartmouth House 

in May of next year. 

DIALOGUE 51

BRANCHES 

WALES REGION 

South Wales 

Joe McLean, Dame Mary Richardson, Norma 

Lloyd-Nesling and Derek Morgan 

Following our successful lunch at 

which Chris Mullins spoke, our social 

activities have continued with a garden 

party at the home of Sir Geoffrey and 

Lady Inkin. Some 15 miles to the east 

of this venue, and an hour before the 

time appointed, there was a violent 

rainstorm which deterred a few who 

could not believe that a Garden Party 

could be held under such conditions. 

If we had to take odds on the winner 

of Lady Inkin v The Weather our 

money would be on the former and 

Castle-upon-Alun did indeed escape 

the rain, with the garden in its usual 

sparkling form, as were those who 

were able to attend the function. Just 

over a hundred members and guests 

joined in the festivities and were 

entertained by a delightful quartet 

from the Bridgend Youth Band. 

The summer garden party (and 

particularly the raffle) is one of the 

branch’s main fundraising events and 

as a consequence, the branch was able 

to sponsor two teachers from the USA 

(one from Winthrop University, South 

Carolina and the other from Mountain 

Ridge Middle School, Denver) to 

attend the ESU’s Stratford Study 

course, aimed at promoting the 

knowledge and appreciation of 

Shakespeare’s works. As last year, we 

also offered Bridgend Soroptimists 

International the opportunity to run a 

raffle at the party to help raise funds 

for the English language books they 

provide for an orphanage school in 

Canesar Goth, a village near Karachi. 

We have also provided a second 

tranche of sponsorship to continue an 

English language teaching programme 

for street children in Bolivia; an 

initiative which can prove to be a life 

changing experience. 

Our AGM was well attended and we 

were privileged to be the first branch 

to welcome as guest speaker, the newly 

elected Chairman, Dame Mary 

Richardson. Dame Mary delivered a 

speech which was both inspirational 

and wide ranging. 

We now look forward with great 

anticipation to our Christmas Carols 

Supper, to be held again this year at 

Howell`s School, Llandaff. The Senior 

Girls` Choir will provide musical cheer 

and member Wyn Calvin, well known 

as the “Welsh Prince of Laughter”, 

will set the scene for the seasonal 

festivities to come. 

SOUTH REGION 

Salisbury 

Tim Hatton, Gill Prior, Professor Mulvey 

and Sarah Hatton 

At this year’s AGM, chaired by 

Vice-President, Tim Hatton, Gill Prior 

was re-elected as Chairman and the 

existing committee were re-elected ‘en 

bloc’. The Chairman took the 

opportunity to update members on 

recent changes at Dartmouth House 

including details about the 

forthcoming members’ election of 

Governors. She also described a new 

programme set up this year with local 

schools to provide an ESU certificate 

and prize to the final year pupil, 

chosen by each school, as best in 

written and spoken English. The plan 

is to continue and expand this 

programme for the coming years. 

It was with regret that members 

learned of the death of Christina 

Maude, former Chairman of 

Salisbury branch. 

This was followed by a clear and 

entertaining talk on ‘The History of 

English in Wiltshire’ by Christopher 

Mulvey. He not only covered his title 

subject, which included such facts as 

the name of the River Wylye dates 

from pre-Norman times and means 

‘Farm Liable to Flooding’, but he also 

dealt in-depth with the development 

of language in Britain. In doing this 

DIALOGUE 52

he covered both history and culture 

from before the Roman invasion, in a 

style that was greatly appreciated by 

members. 

The Chairman and four other 

members attended the annual 

Branches Conference in Cheltenham 

and were most encouraged by the 

presentations from the Chairman, 

Dame Mary and the new Director- 

General, Peter Kyle. It is obvious that 

both have put a great deal of time and 

effort into the ESU since taking up 

their roles and this was made clear to 

Salisbury branch members at their 

October meeting. 

The speaker in October was Sir 

Andrew Burns, who was appointed 

UK Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues in 

June 2010. A career diplomat who 

served as British Ambassador to Israel 

from 1992-1995, he was able to touch 

on many aspects of a complex and 

sometimes almost impenetrable 

subject which concerns not only Jewish 

victims but many other groups. He 

was able to communicate these heavy 

issues in an informed and balanced 

way, free from bias or excessive 

emotion with his warm yet 

professional style. 

SOUTH WEST REGION 

Bath and District 

In the Bath branch we are solvent and 

in good heart; delighted that Alan 

Cox, our branch President, who has 

already given long and distinguished 

service to the ESU, stepped into the 

breach to take on the role of 

Honorary Treasurer and is now 

helping with the charity’s finances. 

Four of our members attended the 

Branches Conference in Cheltenham 

and were very encouraged by the new 

management team. The contributions 

from the Chairman, Dame Mary, the 

new Director-General, Peter Kyle and 

the new Board Secretary, Steve 

Hodkinson, made an excellent 

impression and we came away 

believing that the ESU is in safe hands. 

At our invitation, all three will come to 

Bath in turn to speak to us in the 

period February to May; first, Peter, on 

‘My Shakespeare, your Shakespeare: a 

facilitated Discussion’; then in March, 

Steve on ‘Disadvantaged Young 

People in Sport – it is their Olympics 

Legacy too’. And finally, at our gala 

lunch in April, Dame Mary will speak 

on the topic ‘Whither the ESU’ 

At branch level, we have made a good 

start to our season of events. In 

September, at the Bath and County 

Club, Alan Borg gave a fascinating 

and well-illustrated pre-dinner talk on 

the history of the Knights of Malta. 

At the end of the month, there was a 

pleasant gathering of members at the 

home of our Chairman and his wife, 

where we enjoyed a well presented 

account of the experiences in China 

of one of our alumni, Sam Claxton. 

In October, at the Cumberwell Park 

Golf Club, Roland Symonds, from the 

City of Bath Heraldic Society, treated 

us to an interesting explanation of 

heraldry, illustrated with several 

examples of his own heraldic art. 

We have a full and varied programme 

for the rest of the season, culminating 

with the AGM in May at which our 

guest speaker will be Sir Andrew 

Burns. He will talk, drawing on his 

own experiences, on ‘Life and Politics 

after the Holocaust; the role of a 

British Envoy’. 

Some may well be feeling the pinch 

with rising prices and almost nonexistent 

interest on their savings. Being 

anxious not to exclude people who 

might feel unable to go to the expense 

of a function involving a meal, our 

committee has decided, as an 

experiment, to arrange an event, 

where members gather for coffee and 

then hear a speaker, without having to 

pay for lunch or dinner; there will be a 

nominal charge to cover expenses. 

Due to the on-going public concern 

over the conduct of some members of 

the print media we have invited Sam 

Holliday, editor of the Bath Chronicle, to 

speak about public interest and the 

freedom of the press. 

Like many branches, we do not have 

many young members. This is a 

challenge and it is shared by many 

organisations but if the ESU is to 

thrive, we must find ways to attract 

younger members to the ESU. 

In 2012 we shall be contributing £500 

towards a special theme event to be 

DIALOGUE 53

BRANCHES 

held at the Mid-Somerset Festival, to 

mark the 60th anniversary of the 

Festival and the Diamond Jubilee of 

HM the Queen. There will be classes 

for lower secondary school and for 

primary years and the task will be to 

create and present a 10 minute group 

performance on the theme of one or 

more of the decades from the 1940s to 

the present day. Our contribution will 

be for the winning school’s library or 

other facilities. 

David Leonard, Chairman, Bath and District 

branch 

Bristol 

address was followed by questions 

from our members which allowed us 

to learn yet more about the history of 

the Mayoralty in Bristol. We wish 

them well in their very busy year in 

office. 

October gave us a lively talk entitled 

‘Are We Getting the News We 

Deserve’ Andrew Wilson, a Sky News 

presenter, described the perils faced by 

the modern day news reporter. Having 

travelled all over the world, his 

missions included the Chilean mining 

rescue and many trouble spots, among 

them Afghanistan and more recently, 

Benghazi, during the conflict for 

control of Libya. Vivid presentation 

and personal stories were at the heart 

of what made the event so impactful. 

Present day assignments can often 

involve significant personal danger in 

bringing the news from areas of 

conflict and we wish him well in 

the future. 

Conspicuous Gallantry medal was 

awarded to a Bomb Aimer who, 

having been sent on a Pilot’s Course, 

later flew during the Berlin Air lift and 

also worked on the Kings Flight for 

three years becoming one of the early 

test pilots. 

Many of the pilots were also helped to 

escape back to England by Belgian 

patriots and we were shown a map of 

the various routes, in particular the 

Comet route by which 700 British 

personnel escaped across the Pyrenees 

and down through Spain. 

The Rt Hon The Lord Mayor of Bristol 

Councilor Geoffrey Gollop, the Lady 

Mayoress, Bernice and our President and 

Chairman, Tony Williams 

At the beginning of September, we 

were delighted to welcome The Rt 

Hon The Lord Mayor of Bristol, 

Councillor Geoffrey Gollop, and his 

wife, the Lady Mayoress Bernice. 

Councillor Gollop gave us a most 

interesting address about the history 

of the Mayoralty in Bristol from the 

13th Century to the present day. In 

1899, Queen Victoria granted a Lord 

Mayoralty to Bristol and on her visit 

that year she knighted the then Mayor, 

Herbert Ashman, who then became 

Lord Mayor. Councillor Gollop’s 

Exeter and District 

At the beginning of our first meeting 

of the season, we had a delightful 

presentation by Charlie Murrell- 

Edwards and Ewan Gibson who 

received gap year grants from us for 

their Cambodian project. 

At our main speaker event, Air Cdre 

Graham Pitchfork entitled his talk 

‘The Men behind the Medals’, a 

particularly apt topic for Battle of 

Britain Day. He described the various 

medals awarded and explained why 

the colours in the ribbons were as they 

are, all carefully designed by King 

George VI. 

Air Cdre Pitchfork then showed four 

sets of medals awarded to the Air 

Crew of Bomber Command, one set 

awarded to a pilot who worked 

covering the Arctic Convoy. The 

DIALOGUE 54

REGIONAL DIARY 

EAST REGION 

MIDLANDS REGION 

NORTH WEST REGION 

SOUTH EAST REGION 

Cambridge and 

Welland Valley 

Public Speaking Competition 

for Schools 

Monday 25 January 

Uppingham Heat at 

Uppingham School. 


Cambridge Heat at St Mary’s 

School, Cambridge. 

Thursday 23 February 

Branch Final at Oakham Castle, 

Rutland. 

For further details contact Rob 

Carley, tel: 01858535391. 

Friday 2 March 

Fitzwilliam Lunch to be held at 

Fitzwilliam College Cambridge 

12.30 pm. For tickets Contact 

John Hindle, tel: 01539770580. 

Suffolk 

All applications and payments 

in advance to: Mrs Joy Childs, 

Casita, Culford, 

Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, 

IP28 6DP (separate cheques for 

each event) 

Thursday 12 January 

2 pm St Edmunds Cathedral 

Tour: short organ recital and a 

cream tea. 

Cost £10 

Tuesday 7 February 

4.30 pm - Schools Public 

Speaking Competition - King 

Edward VI Upper School Bury St 

Edmunds, IP33 3BH 


12 noon, Colin McCorquodale 

Luncheon, ‘A Date With 

Monarchy’, cost £17.95. 

Nowton Court 

Saturday 17 March 

Finals of the East Region Public 

Speaking Competition, time and 

venue to be confirmed 

Thursday 22 March 

Coffee Morning - time and venue 

to be confirmed. 

Gloucestershire 

All details and availability 

of tickets from Jacqueline 

Millington, 1, Queen Street, 

Dorchester-on-Thames, 

Oxfordshire, OX10 7HR tel: 

01865340266 (STAMPED 

ADDRESSED ENVELOPE 

PLEASE). 

Sunday 5 February 

12 noon prompt. Annual 

February Luncheon with our first 

visit to The Three Ways Hotel, 

home of the famous Pudding 

Club, Mickleton, Chipping 

Camden, Gloucestershire. 

Guest-of-Honour and Speaker, 

The Chairman of the English- 

Speaking Union, Dame Mary 

Richardson, who will talk about 

“My Vision for The English- 

Speaking Union”. Luncheon, 

a rather special one, Rib of 

Hereford Beef (medium rare) 

followed by a buffet of puddings 

– a selection from the famous 

Pudding Club – such as Treacle 

Sponge, Spotted Dick, Bread and 

Butter Pudding, Jam Roly Poly, 

all with lashings of custard. 

Liverpool and 

Merseyside 

All lunches are held in The 

Athenaeum Church Alley 

Liverpool at 12 noon. Further 

details from Sue Davies 

Secretary 01513426157 email: 

suedaviesheswall@googlemail. 

com 

Friday 28 January 

Speaker: Ken Pye on ‘The Bloody 

History of Liverpool’ 

Friday 24 February 

Paul Crossey on ‘Italian Cities 

of Art’ 


Dr Andrew Curran on ‘How the 

brain works and how to keep it 

working’ 

Mid-Cheshire 

Contact: Valerie Mais 01606 

76534, email valerie@mais. 

demon.co.uk 

Lunch Meetings at Portal Premier 

Golf Club, Forest Road, Tarporley, 

Cheshire 

12 noon for 12.30 pm 

Tuesday 10 January 

Speaker, John Steedman, ‘The 

Natural History of a Garden’ 

Wednesday 25 January 

Theatre Trip by coach 

Royal Exchange Theatre, 

Manchester – Two 


Speaker – Peter Hyde – 

‘The Oldham Rescue Team’ 

Tuesday 13 March 

Speaker, Peter Kirk, ‘A Penguin 

Safari to the Falklands’ 

Canterbury and 

East Kent 

1 February 

5 pm: Finals of the Public 

Speaking Competition at the 

Guildhall Canterbury CT1 2DB, 

by kind permission of the Lord 

Mayor. Visitors welcome. 


‘The Great Dickens Debate’ at 

Dartmouth House, London. 

10 am-3.30 pm 

10 am Introductory Lecture by 

Prof Malcolm Andrews 


In conjunction with Christchurch 

University 6 pm 

Karen Fernald ‘Florence 

Nightingale - Letters and Diaries, 

Life and Work’ 

Admission Free 

Saturday 21 April 

5pm at St Nicholas at Wade 

Church Thanet CT7 ONT 

‘Celebration of Words and Music’: 

Gawain Douglas Poet with young 

musicians 

Tickets £6 

Sunday 15 July 

3pm: Strawberry Tea at Sandgate 

Castle by kind permission of Lord 

& Lady Boot. Enjoy a summer 

tea and entertainment by Mrs 

Pinkerton: Lovely, unique 1920s 

and 30s cabaret. Tickets £12. 

List closes 10 July. 

Eastbourne Branch 


2.30pm ‘New Venture’ at 

Devonshire Club, 

Hartington Place, Eastbourne. 

Mr Chris McCooey, freelance 

speaker and author will talk 

on ‘Kent & Sussex Scandals - 

sensational salacious and sad’. 

Followed by Tea. 


12.30pm for 1.00pm. Carvery 

Lunch at the Royal Eastbourne 

Golf Club. 

Speaker: Dame Mary Richardson 

DIALOGUE 55

Regional diary 

SOUTH REGION 

SOUTH WEST REGION 

Tuesday 24 April 

2.30pm at Devonshire Club, 

Westdown House, Hartington 

Place Eastbourne. 

Mrs Heather Woodward, National 

Trust Speaker on Lady Arabella 

Stuart, ‘The Lost Queen and 

Hardwick Hall’ 

Followed by Tea 

West Sussex 

Contact: Branch Secretary 

Elizabeth Brooks, 01243 378900 

Salisbury 

Meetings with a speaker and 

lunch are held monthly from 

October to April at the Rose and 

Crown in Harnham. Contact the 

Luncheon Secretary, Mrs Louise 

Jeffreys on 01722 336118 for 

bookings. New members are 

always welcome. 


Lindsay Gray ‘The Royal School 

of Church Music’ 


Bristol 

Meetings are held in the Apostle 

Room at Clifton Cathedral unless 

otherwise stated. 

Evening meetings in the Apostle 

Room commence at 7.15 pm 

- wine, soft drinks, coffee and 

biscuits are available. The talk 

starts at 7.45 pm 


Bristol Grammar School - 

ESU Bristol Public Speaking 

Competition for Schools 

Exeter and District 


Lunch Meeting: 

12.30 for 1.00 pm 

Speaker: Stanley Johnson. 

Subject: ‘Stanley, I presume’ 

Wednesday 15 February 

Lunch Meeting: 

12.30 for 1.00 pm 

Speaker: Nicholas Somers. 

Subject: ‘So you think it’s 

genuine A brief look at fakes in 

the Antiques and Arts Markets’ 

Friday 25 November 

12.30 for 1.00pm Thanksgiving 

Lunch. The Chichester Yacht 

Club 


1.30pm. The Barley Mow, 

Walderton. Talk on the ‘2012 

Olympics’ by Duncan Green, 

Head of the Multi-Faith 

Chaplaincy service for the 2012 

Olympics Organising Committee. 


2 pm the Annual Public Speaking 

Competition. Committee Room 

No 3, County Hall, Chichester. 

Monday 12 March 

1.30pm The Barley Mow, 

Walderton. A talk on the St. 

John’s Ambulance Museum, by 

The Hon Lady Fiona Barttelot 

Ven. John Duncan ‘John 

Constable – Painting, Politics 

and Piety’ 

Monday 19 March 

Joyce Bowden ‘100 years of the 

Salisbury Operatic Society’ 

Wednesday 18 April 

Arne Zettersten, ex International 

President of the ESU 

Finals - 5.30 for 6.00 pm. 


Apostle Room 

‘52 Days at Sea in a 24ft Rowing 

Boat - a unique view of Britain’s 

coast’. An illustrated talk. 

Speaker: Belinda Kirk, 

Expedition Manager and 

Adventure TV Director. 


Apostle Room. ‘Radio Bristol’ 

- Speaker: Mr Tim Pemberton, 

Managing Editor at BBC Bristol. 


Apostle Room. Speaker: Dame 

Mary Richardson, recently 

appointed ESU Chairman. 

Cold Buffet inc.1st glass of wine 

and entry: £12.50. (Cheques to 

Tig Jarratt by Tuesday 13 March.) 

Sunday 4 March 

Schools Public Speaking 

Competition. Regional Final: 

1.30 for 2.00 pm 

Blundell’s School, Tiverton 

Wednesday 14 March 

Supper Meeting: 

6.30 for 7.00 pm 

Speaker: Dr Paul Atterbury. 

Subject: ‘The Great Exhibition 

- Myth, Muddle or Masterpiece’ 

Wednesday 18 April 

Annual Dinner (Black tie): 

6.30 for 7.00 pm 

Speaker: Sir Richard Dearlove. 

Subject: ‘British Intelligence in 

Fact and in Fiction’ 


12.30 for 1pm. The Walkers’ 

Annual Lunch. The Time 

Machine, Funtington. 

DIALOGUE 56

January – May 2012 

JANUARY 

Welcome to another year of ESU 

Dartmouth House events. Your 

attendance at these events is an 

essential part of our fundraising initiative 

and I am very grateful to all of you who 

supported us last year. Not only did we 

raise a significant amount for our 

charitable activities, we attracted new 

members and even a new sponsor for 

the London Debate Challenge! 

The profit made from each event goes 

directly to the charitable activities of the 

ESU, enabling young people in the UK 

and internationally to benefit from public 

speaking and debate training, exchange 

scholarships and career development 

opportunities. ESU alumni and nonmembers 

are very welcome at our 

events; however, we would be very 

grateful if you could make an additional 

voluntary donation to the member 

ticket price. 

Thank you for your support. I look 

forward to seeing you at Dartmouth 

House. 

Jo Wedderspoon 

Director of Fundraising and 

Development 

Tickets to all events can be booked via: 

Susan Conway 

Events Manager 



London 

W1J 5ED 

T: 020 7529 1582 

susan.conway@esu.org 

The dress code for all ESU events is 

smart casual, unless otherwise specified. 

Wednesday 11 January, 6.30 – 8 pm 

Meet the Author 

Herta Von Stiegel: The Mountain Within 

In July 2008, international business executive 

Herta Von Stiegel led a group of disabled 

people to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro to raise 

money for charity. 

The story was captured in the award-winning 

documentary The Mountain Within and now 

the expedition has inspired this remarkable 

work, which blends the gripping tale with 

powerful leadership lessons and 

conversations with many of the world’s most 

influential business leaders including, Kay 

Unger, Sung-Joo Kim, Baroness Scotland of 

Asthal, Hon Al Gore and David Blood. 

Tickets: £15 to include one glass of wine and 

a selection of nibbles. 

Copies of The Mountain Within will be on sale 

at the event. 

Tuesday 24 January, 6.30 – 8.00 pm 


Roger Rosewell: Medieval Wall Paintings in 

English and Welsh Churches 

Wall paintings are a unique art form, 

complementing and yet distinctly separate 

from other religious imagery in churches. 

Unlike carvings or stained glass windows, 

their support was the structure itself, with the 

artist’s ‘canvas’ the very stone and plaster of 

the church. Notwithstanding their dissimilarity 

from other religious art, wall paintings were 

also an integral part of church interiors, 

enhancing devotional imagery and inspiring 

faith and commitment in their own right, and 

providing an artistic setting for the church’s 

sacred rituals and public ceremonies. 

Join the ESU for a fascinating talk by Roger 

Rosewell, former journalist, director of a 

private European art foundation and the news 

editor of the online stained glass magazine, 

VIDIMUS, as he journeys through many of the 

best surviving examples of medieval church 

wall paintings today, bringing the imagery and 

iconography of the medieval church vividly to 

life. 

Tickets: £15 to include a glass of wine and 

selection of nibbles. 

Copies of Medieval Wall Paintings in English 

and Welsh Churches will be on sale at the 

event. 

Wednesday 25 January, 6.30 – 9.00 pm 

Burns’ Night supper 

Come and help us celebrate the birthday of 

Scotland’s bard with a reception and 

traditional bill o’ fare buffet in the Revelstoke 

Restaurant. Don your tartan and enjoy Burns’ 

poetry recitals, the “Immortal Memory” and of 

course, the famous toast to the haggis! 

Tickets: £25 

Dress code: lounge suit (tartan optional) 

The buffet will be served at 7 pm.

FEBRUARY 

Wednesday 8 February, 

10.30 am – 1.00 pm 

International At Home and 

Lunchtime Concert 

Enjoy a mid-morning coffee at February’s 

International At Home, an event that brings 

together members of the ESU and the 

international community, to be hosted by a 

special guest of honour (details to be 

confirmed nearer the time). The event will 

also provide the opportunity to tour ESU 

Dartmouth House, a Grade II* listed building. 

At 12 noon, there will be a concert in the 

Long Drawing Room by pianist and ESU 

alumna Yulia Chaplina. Yulia, a recipient of an 

ESU scholarship to Prussia Cove in April 

2011, has given concerts at St Martin in the 

Fields as part of the Royal College of Music 

Series and has won first prize in competitions 

in Paris, Andorra, Kiev, Kharkov and St 

Petersburg since her debut performance 

aged seven. Recently, she has undertaken 

concert tours in Italy, France, Poland and 

Japan. Her lunchtime performance will 

feature music by composers including Bach, 

Chopin and Haydn. 

Tickets to both events are complimentary, but 

please register your attendance with Susan 

Conway by no later than Friday 3 February. 

A donation of £5 is suggested for those guests 

attending the lunchtime concert. 

Thursday 9 February, 6.30 – 8.00 pm 


William Curley: Couture Chocolate 

William Curley is ‘Britain’s Best Chocolatier’, a 

title he has held for five consecutive years by 

the Academy of Chocolate. Brought up in 

Fife, William’s career began with an 

apprenticeship at Gleneagles, followed by six 

years at numerous Michelin-starred 

establishments, working with respected chefs 

including Pierre Koffman at La Tante Claire, 

Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat’ 

Saisons and Marco Pierre White at The 

Restaurant. 

Following the release of his first UK book in 

October 2011 entitled Couture Chocolate; 

William will give a fascinating talk on the 

evolution of chocolate from bean to bar, the 

recent revolution in the high-end chocolate 

industry and his thoughts on the future of this 

highly lucrative market. There will be chance 

to taste some of his couverture chocolate as 

well as the opportunity to purchase copies of 

Couture Chocolate. 

Tickets: £15 to include a glass of wine and a 


Friday 10 February, 7 pm 

SSE Reunion 

The ESU is cordially inviting all alumni of the 

SSE (formerly BASS) scholarship for a drinks 

and canapés reception at ESU Dartmouth 

House. 

Tickets: £25; Dress code: smart casual 

Contact: Kate Bond, 0207 5291571 

kate.bond@esu.org 


Lindemann Trust Fellowship applications 

deadline 

Thursday 16 February, 6.30 – 8.00 pm 

Book launch 

Lord Ian Strathcarron: Innocence and War 

- Mark Twain’s Holy Land Revisited 

In 1867 the Daily Alta California 

commissioned Mark Twain to cover the story 

of the world’s first luxury cruise, a six-month 

round tour to the Holy Land from New York 

on board the Quaker City, an ex-Civil War 

Mississippi side-wheel paddle steamer. The 

captain, crew and passengers were highly 

respectable Presbyterian Christians on a 

mission; the Islamic Holy Land was under 

loosening Ottoman control. The 

interchangeable infidels saw Mark Twain as a 

distracting influence, and he saw them as 

wonderful source material: “manna from 

heaven” for comments on the folly of the 

human condition. The resultant The 

Innocents Abroad was Twain’s bestselling 

book in his lifetime and is still regarded as a 

classic of travel writing and a masterpiece of 

satire on political and religious excess. 

Join us at ESU Dartmouth House for an 

exciting book launch as ESU member Ian 

Strathcarron gives a talk on his journey to 

retrace Twain’s famous steps across the Holy 

Land in Innocence and War, a place where 

‘the religious is political and the political is 

religious, where natural beauty meets 

man-made squalor and where hope and 

despair hang from the same tree’. 

Tickets: £15 to include a glass of wine and 

selection of nibbles. Copies of Innocence and 

War will be on sale at the event. 

DIALOGUE 58

FEBRUARY 

MARCH 

Wednesday 22 February, 12.30 – 2.30 pm 

Dartmouth House Lunch 

David Marquand: Where Next for the Euro 

2012 sees the 10 year anniversary since the 

introduction of the Euro as the official 

currency of Austria, Belgium, Finland, 

France, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, the 

Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. To mark the 

occasion, the ESU invites you to a Dartmouth 

House Lunch with academic, author, former 

politician and member of the European 

Commission, David Marquand as he asks 

“Where Next for the Euro” 

Tickets: £40 members, £45 alumni*, £50 

guests* (two-course lunch with wine) 

*to include an optional voluntary donation of 

£5 and £10 respectively to support the 

charitable work of the ESU 

Copies of The End of the West – The Once 

and Future Europe by David Marquand, will 

be on sale at the event. 

Thursday 23 February, 10.00 – 11.00 am 

and 1.30 - 2.30 pm 

ESU Great Dickens Debate – Public 

Lectures 

To celebrate the 200th birthday of Charles 

Dickens, we have arranged two public 

lectures at Dartmouth House as part of the 

‘ESU Great Dickens Debate’. 

A morning lecture from 10 – 11 am will be 

given by Professor Malcolm Andrews, 

Professor of Victorian and Visual Studies in 

the School of English at the University of Kent 

until 2009, editor of The Dickensian and 

author of Dickens on England and the 

English, Dickens and the Grown-up Child and 

Charles Dickens and His Performing Selves. 

Professor Andrews will discuss ‘Dickens and 

the Education of the Imagination’ – an 

exploration of Dickens’s aspirations to enrich 

the imaginative lives of his readers and how 

he developed what we might today call the 

‘emotional literacy’ of the Victorians. 

An afternoon lecture from 1.30 – 2.30 pm will 

follow by novelist Lynn Shepherd, author of 

Tom- All- Alone’s, a compelling new Victorian 

murder mystery that interweaves with the 

people, places, and foreboding secrets of 

Dickens’ masterpiece, Bleak House. Lynn will 

give an interactive talk entitled ‘Building a 

new Bleak House’ during which she will 

discuss her journey to create a new and 

darker Dickens for the bicentenary and how 

new characters and plot lines led her to ‘lay 

down buried treasure for the modern Dickens 

fan to find’. 

Tickets: £8 per lecture, £15 for both 

The Revelstoke Restaurant will be open for 

lunch bookings from 12 pm. For reservations, 

please contact Dartmouth House reception on 

020 7529 1550. 

Wednesday 7 March, 6.30 – 8.00 pm 


Alex Preston: The Revelations 

Alex Preston is a former City banker turned 

author of the critically acclaimed This 

Bleeding City, the first ‘credit crunch novel’ 

that told the familiar tale of a generation of 

young people caught up in a cycle of 

unchecked greed in the pursuit of money. 

Chosen as one of Waterstone’s ‘New Voices’ 

of 2010 as well as the winner of the 

Edinburgh festival Readers’ First Book Award 

and the Spear’s Best First Book Prize, Alex 

Preston presents his second release, The 

Revelations, a gripping novel of ideas which 

explores The City from a new angle and the 

idea of searching for meaning and fulfilment 

beyond the realm of financial gain.. 

Tickets: £15 guests to include one glass of 

wine and a selection of nibbles. Alex’s talk will 

begin at 6.45 pm. 

Copies of The Revelations and This Bleeding 

City will be on sale at the event. 


Secondary School Exchange applications 

deadline

MARCH 

APRIL 

Monday 12 March, 2.15 pm onwards 

Commonwealth Day Observance 

Westminster Abbey 

Commonwealth Day Observance is celebrated 

annually on the second Monday in March 

across the 54 member countries of the 

Commonwealth and in other parts of the 

world where Commonwealth citizens gather 

together. In the UK, this special day is 

celebrated by a unique event at Westminster 

Abbey attended by Her Majesty The Queen, 

the Prime Minister, High Commissioners, up 

to 200 other VIPs and more than 1,000 

schoolchildren. The theme for the 2012 

celebration is ‘Connecting Cultures’; threads 

that tie people together from every continent, 

faith and ethnicity. 

A selected number of complimentary tickets 

to this event are available for ESU members 

only, on a first come first served basis. 

Dress code: lounge suit 

Thursday 15/Friday 16 March (to be 

confirmed) 

W H Page and Chautauqua Teachers 

scholarships interviews 


Secondary School Exchange scholarships 

interviews 

Thursday 22 March, 12.30 – 2.30 pm 

Dartmouth House Lunch 

Martin Bell: For WhomThe Bell Tolls 

Martin Bell has been many things – an icon of 

BBC war reporting, Britain’s first independent 

MP for 50 years, a UNICEF ambassador, a 

staunch supporter of rights for the armed 

forces, and ‘the man in the white suit’ – a 

tireless campaigner for honesty and 

accountability in politics. But as his new book 

reveals, he’s also a talented poet of light 

verse, and here Bell’s poems continue his war 

by other means on duplicitous politicians, our 

all-consuming media, the venality of celebrity 

culture and much more. Oscillating between 

trenchant satire and touching honesty, often 

poignant autobiography spiced with gentle 

humour, Bell presents poems on Tony Blair 

and Iraq; on Radovan Karadzic, the Serbian 

war criminal whom he met on trial in The 

Hague; and on his hero, Reuter’s reporter 

Kurt Schork, killed on assignment in Sierra 

Leone. 

Join the ESU for a literary Dartmouth House 

Lunch where Martin will discuss how colourful 

episodes from his work and life helped 

shaped the content of For Whom The Bell 

Tolls - from the chart-topping calypso written 

about him in St Lucia to his being a guest at 

Idi Amin’s wedding. 






Copies of For Whom The Bell Tolls will be on 

sale at the event. 

Friday 30 March 

Schools Mace England Final – 30 March 

2012, at Dartmouth House 

Wednesday 11 April, 6.30 – 8.00 pm 


Sally Nilsson: The Man Who Sank Titanic 

The Troubled Life of Quartermaster Robert 

Hitchens 

To commemorate the 100 year anniversary of 

the sinking of the British liner RMS Titanic, 

the ESU has a very special Meet the Author 

event with Sally Nilsson, great-granddaughter 

of Quartermaster Robert Hitchens, the man 

given the order to steer Titanic away from the 

fatal iceberg. 

Following an appearance on Channel 4 News 

and with previously unpublished research and 

photographs from the Hitchens family 

archives, Sally presents the truth behind a 

much-maligned figure; a man branded a 

“coward” by the Unsinkable Molly Brown, 

considered a curse by fellow crewmen and 

whose life was personified by survival, 

betrayal and determination. 

Tickets: £15 to include a glass of wine and a 


Copies of The Man Who Sank Titanic will be 

on sale at the event. 

Tuesday 17 April 

Lindemann Trust Fellowship interviews 

Wednesday 25 April, 12.30 – 2.30 pm 

ESU and Mid-Atlantic Club Lunch 

Dame Mary Richardson – Chairman of the 

English-Speaking Union 

At a special joint luncheon event for members 

of the English-Speaking Union and Mid- 

Atlantic Clubs, Dame Mary Richardson will 

discuss the causes and effects of youth 

alienation. Following the summer riots of 

2011 where the vast majority of defendants 

sat before the magistrates’ courts were found 

to be young men and women under the age 

of 25, Dame Mary will explore how society 

can help combat social exclusion amongst an 

apparent lost generation of young people who 

continue to be angry with the police and 

government. 






Saturday 28 April 

Schools Mace International Final – 28 April 

2012 at ESU Dartmouth House 

DIALOGUE 60

MAY 

Saturday 12 May 

Public Speaking Competition for Schools 

UK Final at Goodenough College 

THANK 

YOU 

Monday 14 May – Friday 18 May 

International Public Speaking Competition 

- at various locations 

Thursday 17 May 


first round heats at ESU Dartmouth House 

Friday 18 May 


semi-finals and grand final at ESU 

Dartmouth House and one other venue to be 

confirmed 

ESU Dartmouth House would like to thank the 

following individuals, branches and organisations who 

have supported our charitable activities since the last 

edition of dialogue: 

Martin Alderson-Smith 

Donald Attlee 

Sandra Aughney 

Baillie Gifford 

Roseanna Beeby 

Cambridge ESOL 

David Cheeseman 

Ian Cole 

Decisions Express Ltd. 

John Deyes 

Sara Dodd 

ESU Hertfordshire Branch 

ESU London Region 

ESU North West Region 

ESU Salisbury and South Wilts 

Branch 

ESU South Wales Branch 

ESU West Sussex Branch 

ESU York Branch 

Essex Court Chambers 

Sheila Evans 

Robert Faulkner 

Donald Fowler-Watt 

Mary-Louise Grogan 

Christina Gruber 

Penny Hamilton 

Lesley Kay 

The Marsh Christian Trust 

Christopher Martin-Jenkins 

Naomi McLean 

Ronald Porter 

Keith Ridgway 

Stanley Rosenthal 

Juliet Scholes 

Noel Sloan 

Karl Snowden 

Nigel Southon 

Anthony Stratton 

Graham Syrett 

Carole Anne Trangmar-Palmer 

Harr 

The Week 

George Yip 

and to all the members, alumni 

and guests who have attended 

our fundraising events. 

If you would like to contribute to the charitable 

activities of the ESU, please contact Jo Wedderspoon, 

Director of Fundraising and Development 

T: 020 7529 1576 

jo.wedderspoon@esu.org 

DIALOGUE 61

SAVE THE DATE 


World Members’ Conference 2012 

Istanbul, Turkey 

18 - 22 September 2012 

Members and friends of the ESU are 

invited to a week-long programme 

of seminars, cultural visits and 

networking 

More information will appear in due 

course - please check 

www.esuwmc2012.org 

DIALOGUE 62

ANNUAL FUNDRAISING APPEAL – 

PUBLIC SPEAKING 

COMPETITION FOR SCHOOLS 

Help school children develop their confidence, speech writing, 

speaking and presentation skills and their ability to think 

analytically on their feet. 

Dear Members and Alumni 

I am appealing to you to support our 

Public Speaking Competition for 

Schools. The ESU at Dartmouth House 

is extremely grateful to the many 

members in our branches who already 

support this competition but we 

urgently need more funding. I feel 

confident writing to our members and 

alumni because I know how important 

this competition is to all of you and the 

school children we support. 

The cost of this competition annually is 

£20,000. 

The Public Speaking Competition for 

Schools was started in 1960 by the 

Brighton and Hove branch of the ESU. 

It has evolved to become a highly 

respected national competition, which 

provides a forum for the promotion of 

effective spoken English. Today the 

competition is organised by the 

National Public Speaking Coordinator 

at Dartmouth House and by ESU 

branches across England and Wales. It 

is open to teams of three students in 

Key Stage 4 (10 and11 year-olds) and 

each team member takes one of three 

roles – chairperson, speaker or 

questioner. Unlike the ESU Schools 

Mace, this is not a debating 

competition. The format of the Public 

Speaking Competition is nonconfrontational 

in nature. 

In addition to being an exciting 

experience for the team, the model 

achieves targets set by the Personal 

Learning and Thinking Skills framework 

as well as a wide range of National 

Curriculum key concepts across the 

subject areas. 

Participation in this competition often 

leads to great things – alumni include 

prominent journalists, politicians and 

business leaders. 

How will your donation help 

It will: 

Provide necessary printed copies of the 

(training) handbook for the children to 

use at the competition. 

This year we have been able to produce 

a digital copy of the handbook only but 

there is a balance to strike between 

expensive distribution of hard copies 

and printed copies that are needed to 

help the students at the competition. 

We cannot do this without funding. 

Provide prizes to recognise the 

achievement of the children who take 

part. 

The prizes are simple book tokens in 

the early rounds but we would like to 

be able to offer more significant prizes 

in the regional and national finals. 

Again we cannot do this without 

funding. 

Increase the reimbursement we give to 

branch and regional organisers to 

support the cost of organising the local 

and regional competitions. This 

reimbursement has not increased for a 

number of years. Funds would cover 

printing/photocopying costs and all 

costs associated with organising a 

regional final that reflects the occasion 

and professionalism of the ESU. 

Cover the expenses of the national 

final, which is one of the most 

prestigious events in the ESU’s 

calendar. We need to pay for venue 

hire, refreshments, programmes and 

prizes, video recording and 

photography. 

Most importantly funding will make 

public speaking training and 

competitions accessible to children/ 

schools which wouldn’t otherwise be 

able to access them. We would like to 

offer bursaries for schools to enter the 

competition by waiving the registration 

fee and offer a free session of the 

ESU’s ‘Discover Your Voice’ 

programme. 

Please give whatever you can – all gifts 

are gratefully received. 

With best wishes 



Development 

You can donate by sending a cheque 

to: 



Development 

“Public Speaking Competition Appeal” 





Or you can make a credit card donation 

by telephoning Jo on 020 7529 1576. 

Are you registered for Gift Aid with 

the ESU 

Most members are but if you are not 

sure please contact Jo.

The English-Speaking Union

Winter 11 Featuring: The Buckingham Palace Awards Ceremony ...

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