Students took to their soapboxes last week for the return of a Rotary competition to boost pupils’ public speaking skills.

Youth Speaks, organised by Rotarians from across the region, puts a spotlight on teenagers’ ability to get their message across in an inter-school competition.

Last week, schools from across the area battled it out in the district final held at Marlow’s URC church on Oxford Road.

And it was Henley College and Trevelyan Middle School in Windsor that triumphed to go through to the regional final in Maidstone, Kent.

Lance Slater, from the Rotary Club of Marlow, said: "It’s amazing the standard of these young people and their talent for public speaking.

"It was a tremendous evening’s entertainment, and with children always seeming to get criticised, it’s heartwarming to see."