Youngsters in the Helston area are brushing up on their public speaking skills ahead of a competition next Tuesday (February 5).

The Rotary Club of Cober Valley is organising the second Helston Junior Youth Speaks competition for primary schools in the district.

St Michael's School will be hosting the event, which will start at 4pm.

Due to the success of the inaugural competition last year more schools will be taking part in the 2013 challenge, including St Michael's, Parc Eglos, Germoe, Godolphin and Porthleven, with some schools presenting more than one team.

Teams of three will compete against each other, talking on a subject of their choice.

Prizes will be awarded to the winning teams, who will then go on to represent Helston in the area finals in Penzance.

Caroline Hemsworth, from the Cober Valley Rotary Club, said: “Youth Speaks encourages children to develop their skills and confidence in writing, debating and speaking in public. It also provides the opportunity for local schools to compete against each other in something other than sport.”

The Rotary competition is well established in the area, but last year was the first time that the junior version was held in Helston.