THE Thurrock Council Chamber was the venue of the regional heats of Rotary International Youth Speaks Competition, the event was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Grays.

Teams of very articulate Intermediate and Senior students took part in the competition, making choosing winners from each section very difficult.

Cathy Kent, mayor of Thurrock, who was there to present the winners with their trophies, said: “ I was impressed with the standard of all the students that participated.

“It made the job of judging extremely difficult.”