St Bede’s Sixth Form A-level student Daniel Callaghan from Altrincham has just completed the triple by winning his third Public Speaking regional competition and a place in the final of a National competition. Last year Daniel won the Didsbury Rotary Club Public Speaking contest and started off 2009 by winning the Heaton Mersey Youth Festival Rose Bowl. He then went on to win the prestigious Northwest Catenian Association competition and at the end of the spring term he repeated his previous success and held on to the Rotary Club trophy for another year. Success in the Catenian contest takes him to the national final which is due to take place in London during September.
English teacher Maureen Hazell, who has helped prepare Daniel for his Public Speaking competitions, said about his achievements, “Daniel is a very stylish public speaker who is particularly skilled in connecting with his audience. It has been a pleasure to help him prepare for these competitions, in which he has been competing for a number of years. His success in so many important contests in his last year at the College is very gratifying. I know he has some Political ambitions and I am sure the events will stand him in good stead for the future, especially if he makes it to the Houses of Parliament.”
Daniel, who is currently studying A-level French, Spanish and Ancient History, has already been offered a place at Christ Church, Oxford, a college which, incidentally, has produced thirteen British Prime Ministers. When asked about how he felt about winning the competitions Daniel said, “To be quite honest, I was just pleased to come out of them alive, public speaking is a nerve racking process, but something that you can look back on fondly if it goes well. The help I have received from St Bede’s has been fantastic especially from Maureen Hazell in the English department.”
He added, “The final is obviously going to be much more testing, as I will be up against a national field, but I am looking forward to the challenge.”
