17/06/2026
⚽ **Passports, tinfoil sandwiches, World Cup drama… and a whole lot of resilience!** 🎤✨
What a brilliant evening at Heart of England Toastmasters as we gathered with the theme “The Courage to Begin.”
And courage was definitely in the room—from stepping up to speak, to tackling surprise Table Topics, to surviving passport-related chaos worthy of its own Netflix special. 😄
Our speakers took us on quite the journey. Peter Sunderland shared a heartfelt and adventurous story about resilience, travel, and the strength of his wife through life’s snowy twists and turns.
Phil had us on the edge of our seats with "Narrowly Avoiding Disaster” - a heroic 1,500-mile passport rescue mission involving Bordeaux, border control, a chain-link fence, and a suspicious tinfoil sandwich. 🥪🚗🇫🇷 And Luke brought his usual energy, humour, and presence to the stage, deflecting interruptions from Difficult People!
Then came Khurram’s World Cup-themed Table Topics, where speakers had to think as fast as footballers on the pitch.
We heard ideas about global unity, 64-team tournaments, pressure moments, footballing fairness, and whether England winning the World Cup on home soil would cause “mild chaos.” Spoiler: yes. Absolutely yes. 🏆😂
The evaluations were sharp, supportive, and full of insight, with Ben, Sanatan, Kay, and Luke helping speakers grow while keeping the room smiling.
Ritu kept us grammatically resilient, Kate kept everyone timed, and Lee wrapped things up with a warm, funny, and thoughtful General Evaluation.
And now… drumroll please! 🥁
🏆 **Best Speaker:** Phil Forster
🏆 **Best Evaluator:** Luke Biddle
🏆 **Best Table Topic:** James Poole
A huge congratulations to all our winners, speakers, role holders, guests, and everyone who made the evening such a lively success. 👏
Our next meeting is on Tuesday 30 June 2026, back at Silhilians Sports Club & Conference Centre, starting from 7:20pm.
Whether you’re ready to give a speech, practise impromptu speaking, or simply see what Toastmasters is all about, come along and join us. Your courage to begin might just start here. 🌟
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