Emma wins the 'Bess Fowler Trophy' at the Bristol Eisteddfod

This year, the Bristol Eisteddfod: Festival of Music, Speech & Drama took place at Redmaids' High, in our state-of-the-art Redland Hall. Huge congratulations to Emma (pictured) in Year 9, who had an incredibly successful festival, as she was awarded the Bess Fowler Trophy, for the most inspiring performer at the event! The Bess Fowler Trophy is awarded annually to the most promising performer in the Speech and Drama category, and Emma's performance was outstanding.

Emma commented, "I would say it was really fun competing in all classes, especially because it was at Redmaids' High, so I knew the environment well. I was so excited to win the Bess Fowler Trophy, which is huge! "

There is a heart-touching story behind this prestigious award. The founder, William Ernest Fowler (b. 1872), founded the Bristol Eisteddfod festival in 1903, which continued under his direction without interruption even during the two World Wars. When his beloved wife, Madeline Bess Fowler died in 1932, the founder created this award to commemorate her for all she had done to support this initiative over the years.

The Bristol Eisteddfod (Gathering) festival celebrates an extensive range of arts and each year welcomes talented performers of different ages and backgrounds. Its overall aim is to promote and encourage the development of artistic talent in various Bristol venues during the 3-4 weeks before the end of the Spring Term.

Redmaids' High has a long history of Drama successes. We are strong advocates of the importance of Drama education, and all our students enjoy Drama as part of the curriculum in Years 7 to 9 and as an optional subject at GCSE, A-Level, and IB. Overall, we believe that the arts should be a crucial part of each student's academic experience and our teaching and learning methods in Drama are varied and exciting.

We are so proud of many other students' achievements in the Bristol Eisteddfod alongside Emma. Florence placed first in Year 7 poetry and third, with distinction in solo acting, and placed third with Annabelle for their duologue. Sophia and Florence, both in Year 7, also placed third in their duologue class. Mia & Isabelle in Year 10, and Edie & Lily in Year 11, also had duologue successes, with both pairs placing second with distinction. Veterans of the Bristol Eisteddfod, Annie and Lucy, both in Year 11, had many individual achievements and distinctions but also placed first in their improv duologue class. Annie was awarded the 'Best Senior Performer' trophy which is an amazing achievement!

Congratulations to everyone for your hard work and exceptional performances! We couldn't be prouder of you.