Ellen Wilkinson School student speaks out and wins regional final

A student from Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls has won the regional final of Jack Petchey’s “Speak Out Challenge” and is now on the way to take part in the grand final of the UK’s largest youth public speaking event.

Hanan Hassan, a year 10 student representing the Acton school, was one of 30,000 Year 10 students from 500 state schools in London and Essex who take part in the annual event which is hosted by the Speakers Trust and funded by the Jack Petchey Foundation.

Hanan won her “Fairytales” speech with a message that talks about hope is a powerful force that can transform lives and inspire resilience. She also received a £100 gift certificate.

Hanan said: ‘It’s amazing to win. It feels like I’ve won the lottery. I’d like to thank my teachers, family and my cool cat called Charlie.”

Runner-up was Mehrish Khanam representing Southall’s Featherstone High School with a speech titled “There’s hope in a smile” and third place went to Douaa Al-Shamari who also represented Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls with a message of the importance of overcoming negative self-talk and cultivating self-belief.

Mayor of Ealing, Councillor Yvonne Johnson congratulated the students taking part. She said: “I thought it was first class. They were so brave, so articulate. The wide range of topics; they were all incredibly impressive. And I know what goes into it — I was a school teacher myself for 38 years, so I know that just didn’t happen overnight.”

Councillor Johnson added: “These skills are so important because people need to express themselves and not rely on AI or technology — they’ve got to think for themselves, express their feelings. Thank you so much for inviting me”

The finals will be taking place at the Cambridge Theatre in the West End on 7 July 2025 where the students will be competing to win a £2,000 bursary for themselves and £3,000 for their school.