About us

Welcome to the South Wales Branch of the English Speaking Union. With over 400 members, we are the second largest branch after London. We meet regularly for literary lunches where we have welcomed eminent speakers including Sir Richard Shirreff, Sir Richard Dearlove, Lord Kerr and Dr Bobo Lo.

Other social fund-raising occasions include a Summer Garden Party at Fonmon Castle and Christmas Carols and Supper at Howell’s School, Llandaff both of which are always well supported.

The funds we raise at our social functions are devoted to our charitable activities including the organisation of training days and competitions for both primary and secondary pupils where oracy skills are promoted and developed and where, last year, almost 600 pupils were involved. In the ESU-Churchill Public Speaking Competition, our Welsh finalists compete in the UK final in Cambridge each year and have enjoyed success there over recent years, winning the event in 2017 and providing the outstanding speaker in 2019. The finalists in the Welsh Performing Shakespeare Competition have also competed successfully at national level, winning the audience prize last year.

Do get in touch. We’d love to welcome you to a future event.

Stephen Purcell