Two Glasgow schoolboys have created their place in history by becoming the first pupils to qualify for the final of a Scottish national speaking competition which could net their schools a £10,000 prize.
The pair, 16 year-old Cailean Gallagher, of Chesterfield Avenue, and Billy McCauley, 12, of Lincoln Avenue, Glasgow, are pupils at Hyndland Secondary School in the city's West End.
In the City Chambers, Glasgow, they beat debating teams from Notre Dame High, who finished runners-up; Shawlands Academy; Springburn Academy, St Mungo's Academy, and St Paul's High to capture the Victim Support Scotland Glasgow Schools Public Speaking competition on the topic of violence in schools.
The boys received medals to mark their achievement, with a commemorative shield for their school. However, the pair were completely unaware that, in addition, they were becoming the first duo to qualify for the Victim Support Scotland National Schools Public Speaking competition, the final of which will be held in May, 2008.
The national competition was announced by HRH The Princess Royal, president of the national charity, during a visit to Glasgow in the summer. In the 2007-2008 year seven regions, Highland, Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City, Dundee, Edinburgh, South Lanarkshire and Glasgow will fight it out for the £10,000 prize, sponsored by Bank of Scotland Corporate. The winning pupils will receive a shield as a permanent personal award. In 2008-2009 the competition will be extended to all education regions in Scotland.
Sherifff Rita Rae, chair of the judges' panel, commended all the participants on the outstanding quality of their contributions, which she said demonstrated that schoolchildren could provide some of the solutions to bullying, anti-social behaviour and youth crime.
David McKenna, chief executive of Victim Support Scotland, said he was delighted with the pragmatic solutions advanced by the speaking teams, and hoped that since they spoke for the younger generations that their voices would be heard by those further developing the strategies to discourage and prevent violence in Scottish schools.