Congratulations to King’s Ely Sixth Form student, Polly Casey, who has won the regional round of The Great Debate 2024!
Organised by The Historical Association, The Great Debate is an annual public speaking competition, in which students in Years 10-13 have five minutes to present a speech arguing their answer to a set question. The question this year was: “Which historical place or person from your local area deserves greater recognition?”
Polly, who is studying History, English Literature, Music, and Art and Design for her A-Levels, was encouraged to enter the competition by Head of History at King’s Ely Senior, Mr Colin Currie.
The theme of Polly’s speech was ‘Lost Orchards of Cottenham’, which has secured her a spot in the national semi-finals of the competition.
Polly, who joined King’s Ely Senior in Year 9 from St John’s College School in Cambridge, said: “I am so happy to have won, as the importance of ancient apple orchards to Britain deserves to be more widely known!
“In the blink of an eye, traditional apple orchards have disappeared from my village landscape. Not only has this resulted in the loss of essential habitats, but a loss of precious native apple varieties, which for centuries have been an integral part of my community’s history and local identity. With this debate, I aimed to encourage the revival of local apples, whilst also advocating for the fair treatment of the British farming industry, the preservation of native biodiversity, and a stronger sense of unity within rural communities.
“Alongside books published by local historians, I really enjoyed conducting my research by interviewing people descended from prominent families within the Cottenham fruit farming industry.”
In a quote taken from Polly’s speech, she says: “We must not let the incredible stories that each native apple variety tells, be extinguished from the identity of communities across Britain. Our generation deserves to know the taste of real apples, not the bland varieties chosen for us by faceless companies. The message that the orchards provide has never been more relevant, championing stewardship within local communities and the preservation of agricultural biodiversity. Let the story of the Cottenham orchards be symbolic of how the most important histories can be hidden in even the humblest of fruit.”
Polly will be debating the same topic in the national semi-finals of the competition, which are being held virtually next week. Good luck Polly!