A local public speaking group called Huntingdonshire Speakers has not only conquered fears of public speaking, but has had "unprecedented" success in speaking competitions.
The group forms a "safe and encouraging environment for members to reduce their fear of public speaking and develop their speaking and leadership skills", one member told The Hunts Post.
Huntingdonshire Speakers are part of Toastmasters, an international club which focuses on confident communication.
Over the last six months, the group have attended several speaking competitions and have brought home several awards.
They competed against various Toastmasters clubs in their Area and Division, and beat a whopping 190 other clubs to the top spot in two categories.
John March came 1st in the Humorous Speech category, while club president, Debbie McManus, came 1st in the table topics category.
Both John and Debbie are now through to compete at the District 71 contest in Portloaise, Ireland in May.
John, a former teacher, has only been a Huntingdonshire Speakers member for 12 months.
He joined the group after he lost his confidence in public speaking when he left his teaching job, but now has "no qualms" about speaking in public.
He will even be delivering a one hour presentation at a Toastmasters International Conference in the summer.
Vice-president of membership for the Huntingdonshire Speakers, Adrian Podmore, came first in the International Speech category.
Debbie McManus scored another 1st place in the evaluation category.
Both Adrian and Debbie will be heading to the next round of their qualification at the division contest, as they battle for a spot at the District 71 contest.
There were members of Huntingdonshire Speakers in the top three of each contest, which is a huge achievement.
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Club president, Debbie, said: "We have had winners at these competitions before, but never have we succeeded in all categories."
She added: "The amount of talent and enthusiasm for our members is not only good for winning these awards, but it's great to encourage even the most nervous public speaker to blossom."
Anyone who would like to visit the Huntingdonshire Speakers can attend their Open Night on Tuesday, April 23 at the Old Ferry Boat Inn in Holywell, St Ives.
Entrance is free and there will be buffet refreshments.
The group meet on the second Wednesday and fourth Tuesday every month at the Old Ferry Boat Inn.
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