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We will be adding more articles to this page. To start: here are articles on speaking and articles giving personal views on the on the power of Toastmasters and an exciting joint meeting between London and Namibia.

70 Years of Aylesbury Speakers Club

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Seven decades. Thousands of speeches. Generations of members. One remarkable club.

Monday, 7 September 2026 was a very special evening for Aylesbury Speakers Club as members gathered to celebrate an incredible 70 years of Toastmasters.

Established in 1956, Aylesbury Speakers Club holds a special place in the history of Toastmasters in England. It is the longest-running Toastmasters International club in England, an achievement that reflects the commitment of the many members who have kept the club meeting, learning and growing across seven decades.

Over the years, the club has welcomed people from different backgrounds and at different stages of their lives, all with their own reasons for joining. Some may have wanted to become more confident speaking in front of an audience. Others may have wanted to develop their leadership skills, improve their communication at work, or simply challenge themselves to try something new.

Whatever brought them through the doors, they became part of a club with a long tradition of learning from one another.

Celebrating 70 Years

The 70th birthday celebration was an opportunity to pause and recognise just how much has changed since the club first began.

The world of communication has changed dramatically since 1956. Technology, workplaces and the way we communicate have all evolved, but one thing has remained remarkably consistent: people still need to communicate clearly, confidently and effectively.

That is where Toastmasters continues to make a difference.

For 70 years, Aylesbury Speakers Club has provided a place where members can practise, make mistakes, receive feedback, try again and gradually become more confident speakers and leaders.

The evening also welcomed District 91 Club Growth Director Alison Morris, DTM, who joined the club to celebrate this important milestone with members.

A legacy built by members

Reaching 70 years is not simply about the age of the club. It is about the people who have kept it going.

Every President, committee member, speaker, evaluator, mentor and volunteer has played a part. Every meeting that took place, every speech that was delivered and every member who was encouraged to take their next step has helped carry the club forward.

The club’s longevity is also a reminder that Toastmasters is ultimately about people.

Programmes and technology may change. Meeting formats may evolve. New generations of members will bring new ideas and expectations. But the basic principle remains the same: we learn by doing, we improve through feedback, and we help one another along the way.

Aylesbury Speakers Club has been doing exactly that for seven decades.

Looking back — and looking ahead

A 70th birthday is naturally a time to look back, but it is also an opportunity to look ahead.

What will Aylesbury Speakers Club look like when it reaches 80? What stories will today’s members tell about their time in the club? Which new members will discover Toastmasters and find that joining the club changes the way they communicate, lead and connect with others?

Those questions are for the future.

For now, the club deserves to celebrate an extraordinary milestone.

Congratulations to Aylesbury Speakers Club and to every member, past and present, who has helped make 70 years possible.

Seven decades is a remarkable achievement — and we hope there are many more speeches, meetings, friendships, achievements and celebrations still to come.

Happy 70th birthday, Aylesbury Speakers Club! Here’s to the next 70 years.

A Wedding at City Limits Speakers

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On August 22nd at the early morning online meeting of City Limits Speakers Toastmaster Rashmi married Toastmaster Leo!  

The club played host to the Wedding Speech Workshop devised and led by  DTM Andrew P Bennett.  

Many guests become members of Toastmasters International Clubs because they have been asked to give a speech at a wedding or partnership celebration.  

The Wedding Speech Workshop made an excellent Open House event for the club. 

So real was the sense of being at a wedding that one guest participant even sent written congratulations to the Bride and Groom. 

 Adding to the enjoyment of the occasion our ‘wedding family’ and even some of our guests dressed in style for the great day. 

City Limits members gave short, model wedding speeches with Toastmaster Andrew underlining the all-important learning points. He also gave us an interactive  physical and vocal warm up to calm nerves on the big day. 

 We were pleased and mindful that there were several guests attending their very first Toastmasters meeting . To assist them Toastmaster Laura Chattington  gave a ‘Tips for creating a speech ‘ presentation. 

Indeed attendance included not only many  folks from the UK , but also New Zealand , Korea and Uganda . 

A breakout session allowed guest workshop participants to try out parts of speeches they were preparing and receive encouraging feedback . 

There were also fascinating public speaking discussions in response to the workshop content. These ranged from how to cope with noisy distractions during a wedding speech to the balance between a scripted speech and spontaneity for an inexperienced speaker. 

Thanks were given to Toastmasters Kim Crosby ( Workshop Promotion) and Julie Parker ( Acting President for the session) who joined with Toastmaster Andrew in organizing the event. 

City Limits Speakers will receive credit for their model Wedding Speeches towards their Pathways Educational Awards. Our guests were delighted and inspired by this Open House event.  

 Julie Parker & Andrew Bennett. 

 

  

 

Steve Birch, DTM, 27th November 1953 to 23rd May 2023

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Steve Birch, who had an ongoing battle with cancer since 2016, lost his fight and passed away at home on Tuesday 23rd May 2023.

Former army colleague, fellow Toastmaster and long-term friend Rick Cooper summed him up like this:

“In a world lacking true heroes, Steve Birch is an unsung example of how one individual can make a difference to the lives of many without making a fuss or a claim. He has done more for the cause of Toastmasters in the District than anyone I’m acquainted with. As an ambassador he was without peer; as a mentor he was kind and shared his wisdom and experiences generously.”

Steve entered the army as a apprentice in 1970 and was educated at the Army Apprentice College in Harrogate from where he was posted to Worcester as a Lance Corporal in 1973 and thus began his attachment to Worcester and Malvern Hills.  He left the army in the early 1980s as a Sergeant and began his business career.  In 2016 he organised a Regimental Reunion in Worcester to mark the 40th anniversary of his regiment and their disbanding.  That he did it as his Toastmasters High Performance Leadership Project demonstrates how highly he regarded both organisations.

Steve was always a keen sportsman whether it was a team sport – his passions were cricket in summer and rugby in winter – sailing, or the solitude of fishing. This robustness manifested itself in his everyday life too.

His initial club on joining Toastmasters in 2009 was the newly chartered Cheltenham Speakers.  He said that he was initially very reticent to speak as he had a bad stammer that had stopped him from giving the eulogy at a family funeral.  It was 5 meetings before he would even do a table topic. Once he started, he soon got into the swing of things and took on more and more roles including joining the committee. He organised the demonstration meeting at Malvern in May 2013 and he led the meeting in his own inimitable style; that mix of fun and serious business. He was also a founder member of Worcester Speakers in 2019. He took Toastmasters into local schools through Youth Leadership Program and judging at school speech contests.

Steve was awarded “Toastmaster of the Year” in 2018-2019 by the then District Director Andy Hammond. Andy said:

“Steve’s energy and enthusiasm in supporting members was outstanding. In that year alone he was VP Education for both Malvern Speakers and Worcester Speakers, completed Level 4 in Presentation Mastery in the first year of Pathways on his way to a Triple Crown, and still made time to produce a number of YouTube tutorials on “Pathways for Dummies”.

Amongst the vast number of online tributes this from Jackie Graybill, Area Director J11, District 91 reflects the overwhelming feeling:

“The world has lost one of the best speakers I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. Steve Birch, or “Birchey,” as we called him, loved speaking and he also loved mentoring others in the craft. When he had the stage, he brought his wit, cheeky humour and incredible wealth of knowledge to gift to his audiences. He was creative, fiercely intelligent, a bit snarky, and had a giant heart. I learned many things from Birchey, not least of which is not having to be acknowledged by others to know my worth and talent as a speaker. Birchey was humble and he seemed to take more pleasure in the success of those he mentored than in his own. I rarely heard him complain about feeling poorly, even though he was struggling with cancer he knew was terminal. He once showed me a Toastmasters speech he gave shortly after he received his diagnosis, nearly a decade ago. He called it, “Whilst I Can, I Will.” I think that title perfectly sums up how he lived. He helped as many people as he could for as long as he could. Thank you Steve, for living an inspiring life, and for how you inspired me and helped me become a better speaker. You will be missed. We celebrate the life you lived and all you gave us – the extraordinary legacy you left behind. We are better for having known you!”

Steve saw leadership as a service to others and that the membership experience came first.  Whether that was a new member taking their first steps, a club officer, or a district officer. He believed in using his experience and expertise to help other people become better people. His philosophy was fairly simple, he’d been given the chances and the support and so now it was time to pay it back.

Steve will leave a lasting impression on all of those who he gave his time to. There are many who would not be in Toastmasters if it was not for his enthusiasm and example of what they could become.

A final word from Rick Cooper:

            “We all have a huge pair of shoes to fill now. Or maybe Crocs. Missing you Mate.”

Andy Hammond
Past District Director, District 91

The Laughing Toastmaster: Team Player? Depends on the Team

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The Laughing Toastmaster: Are You a Team Player? It Depends on the Team! A new illness is sweeping through the corporate world causing havoc and creating what experts call ‘angry job desertion’. ‘I quit! You know why they call it teamwork? Because it’s a lot of work!’ Known as TPSD (Team Player Stress Disorder), symptoms include shortness … Read more