SCHOOLS from across Saddleworth spoke up and showed their talent by taking part in the Oldham Primary Schools Choral Speaking Festival.
Hey with Zion in Lees, Diggle Primary, Delph Primary and Lydgate’s St Annes were all involved as their pupils displayed their love for poetry.
The 37th edition of the event, the largest of its type in Europe and second largest in the world, saw children express their love for the written word.
It is designed to help children to increase their enjoyment of poetry, to enhance their understanding and appreciation of it by the imaginative interpretation of their chosen poems.
Organisers Oldham Metro Rotary say: “Children through being members of a group develop their self-confidence and ability to speak in public.
“We strive to enable all participants to take pride in their performance, to enjoy taking part in the whole programme, which provides an opportunity for mutual understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of each other’s presentations.
“By organising the festival, we hope to build community cohesion by bringing together schools from across the borough.”
Hey with Zion’s and Diggle’s year three and four, Delph’s year five and years one and three at St Anne’s all impressed the audience and adjudicator Hilary Henderson.
As fate would have it, the children also became some of the final acts to appear on the stage at Oldham Coliseum theatre before it closes for good.
But Garvin Crabtree, president of, Rotary Oldham Metro insisted that does not mean the end of the festival.
He said: “This has come as a great shock to local people as well as the great many who have started their careers at the Coliseum and gone on to long careers in the performing arts.
“This being said, this will not be our last festival. The Rotary Club has been actively searching for a new home for the festival and we have come up with a number of options to consider.”
