FROM dancing dinner ladies to tongue-twisters, the sights and sounds of poetry were brought to life by primary school pupils on the Oldham Coliseum stage.
The Fairbottom Street venue hosted the 36th annual Oldham Choral Speaking festival in March and saw hundreds of students from across the borough compete over three days.
Run by the Rotary Club of Oldham Metro, the event is the biggest of its kind in Europe and the second biggest in the world.
It aims to help children increase their enjoyment of poetry and enhance their understanding and appreciation of it by the imaginative interpretation.
And it develops their self-confidence and capacity to speak in public with high standards of presentation, clarity of diction and fluency of delivery.
Those skills, and more, were displayed by the pupils aged four to 11 who took to the stage in their year groups to perform.
Rotarian Gordon Russell introduced each school and explained which two poems they have chosen and why.
Among them were Higher Failsworth Primary School Year 4 who performed Veruca Salt by Roald Dahl, Hodge Clough Primary School Year 5 who chose The Dinner Lady Dance by Ian Bland and Ning Nang Nong by Spike Milligan was recited Richmond Academy Year 2.
Professional adjudicator Ann Warr had the task of judging each performance and deciding who to award trophies and special commendations, as well as certificates for every school.
She said: “There have been some very good performances.
“We have a beautiful language and some lovely words, with some that are quite difficult. There are also a lot of different sounds – and doing all that well is what gets you the top marks.”
Ann has been a judge for the festival since 2007, but this event was her last as she is now retiring.
Gordon said: “Ann has a been a stalwart for the festival and her advice is very helpful. We are very grateful for all her support and help to take the event forward.
“This year’s festival has been fantastic and the children have all really enjoyed it.
“The partnership with the Coliseum has been great and they have given us tremendous support over the years. It is a magical place to be and we have had a full house for all the sessions.”
Special guests also attended including the Mayor of Oldham Cllr Jenny Harrison, Oldham Youth Mayor Tia Henderson, Rotary District Governor Eric Russell and Jan O’Connor, the Coliseum’s chair of trustees.
Jan said: “This is my first visit to the festival and it has been a great treat for me to be here.
“One day you’ll hear these poems again or something will remind you of it and you’ll look back on this experience.
“Thank you to the volunteers, sponsors, Rotary, children, teachers and parents who all help to make something very special.”
The festival, sponsored this year by Madeleine Lindley Books, has seen more than 60,000 pupils from the aged of four to 11 take part since 1985.
Oldham Metro Rotary also runs a spelling bee competition in June. For more information or to get involved in either event, email Garvin Crabtree: g.crabtree@sky.com
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