A TEAM from Tavistock College is celebrating having won the third district round of the prestigious Rotary 'Youth Speaks' competition.  

Every year the college enters teams and has frequently been successful, getting through to the national final in recent years.

The intermediate team of Emily Handel, Isabel Prout and Thanae Garland Tsirka came away as the district champions after an eloquent, passionate and engaging speech about 'Music: Art or Industry?'

The team spoke with clarity and precision about how they felt music was becoming too much of a business dominated by celebrity and that there was little opportunity for new, different musicians to have their music heard.

The standard was high and judges commented on the fact that the standard rises year on year.

The college also entered another team, Darcy Brown, Amelia Harrison and Jessica Dent, who spoke about 'graffiti' and discussed whether graffiti could enhance an area or whether it should always be considered vandalism.

They spoke about the famous street artist Banksy and gave their own opinions about how graffiti could be controlled.

They spoke eloquently and were also commended for their confidence and poise.  

The winning team now progresses to the regional final in Shaftesbury, the semi-finals of the national competition.