There was plenty to talk about at Helston Community College when it hosted the district final of the National Rotary “Youth Speaks” competition.

The demanding competition was fought by teams who had already won in the first round of an intermediate or senior category in their respective schools.

The topics of the speeches ranged from the inflated wages of footballers to the new high-speed train to age-related laws.

Each speaker was required to talk on their chosen topic for six minutes whilst holding the audience’s attention – and many of the speeches proved particularly amusing and entertaining.

The Helston Community College senior team won their category and were placed at the top of the first three teams – described as a “fantastic achievement” by the school.

They will be going on to the next stage of the competition in Bodmin this Saturday. The intermediate category was won by a team from Humphry Davy in Penzance.