Henry Smith MP will be hosting the inaugural Crawley Inter-School Public Speaking Contest at the Civic Hall on Thursday, 17th November, from 6pm to 8pm.

The event will be taking place as part of Parliament Week (14th-20th November), and every secondary school in Crawley has been invited to take part.

Henry said;

“I’m constantly impressed by the ability of Crawley’s young people, and I’m delighted to see such interest across town in holding this competition.

“One of the important parts of any MP’s role is to help engage our young people about Parliament and the democratic process – when I listen to local students on this subject I’m often impressed with their knowledge and enthusiasm, and I’m looking forward to hearing Crawley secondary school pupils speak on this subject.

“It’s always a pleasure to go to schools and colleges – and welcome them up to the House of Commons as well – to speak about the importance of engaging in our democracy. This includes discussing the role of Parliament, the responsibility of MPs, and our democratic system in general.

“I’m delighted to host this contest in Crawley as part of Parliament Week – there will be a range of events taking place right across the UK.”

Teams will include students from school years nine, 10 and 11. Each school will have around ten minutes to present a speech on the topic of ‘Democracy.’

The competition will be judged by external experts, including Ben Weisz, Political Reporter for BBC Sussex. The venue is sponsored by Crawley Borough Council.

This event is open for members of the public, in addition to families and friends of students taking part, to watch and support. Doors open at 5.45pm.

Parliament Week is a programme of events and activities connecting people with the UK Parliament. Organisations across the UK run events and activities throughout Parliament Week which explore what the UK Parliament means to them and their community.