As a child, Chris Byrne took part in our ESU-Churchill Public Speaking Competition and the Schools’ Mace – reaching the finals on both occasions. Now a successful entrepreneur, Chris is sponsoring our new ESU-Rutland Teacher Award, recognising the transformational contribution of teachers in empowering the young people they work with through public speaking and debating.
‘I’ve benefitted so much from all the skills that I was taught through participating in ESU competitions and I wondered how I could help other people to benefit as well,’ says Chris. ‘As I reflected on that, I realised that schoolchildren can’t participate without teacher support. So I wanted to do something which recognised teachers and the incredible lengths they go to – unpaid, and often not just unrewarded, but in the face of great difficulties internally in their schools – to really push for their pupils.’
