Home

Speakers’ Corner Trust is a registered charity which promotes free expression, public debate and active citizenship as a means of revitalising civil society in the UK and supporting its development in emerging democracies.

SCT’s approach is based on the belief that association between citizens and the free, face-to-face exchange of ideas, information and opinions – with each other as well as with the decision-takers among them – is a key to rebuilding trust and participation in community life and governance in Britain and developing vibrant civil institutions and robust rights in emerging democracies.


  • Václav Havel – A Tribute

    Václav Havel, SCT's Patron, died on 18 December.

    He was a man of enormous stature and extraordinary achievement in the arts, in politics, in world affairs.

    But he will be remembered as much for his lifelong struggle for human rights for which he was prepared to make personal sacrifices long before he was able to enjoy the new freedoms of the democratic Czechoslovakia whose first President he became.

    His commitment to the cause of civil liberties never diminished. His ready agreement to serve as SCT's Founding Patron even before the charity was fully formed was a testament to his generority of spirit.

    He will be much honoured but greatly missed.

    See a brief biography of Václav Havel.

  • Programmes & Projects

    SCT has three core programmes, the first focused on creating a national network of local Speakers' Corner projects in the UK, the second on undertaking initiatives overseas and the third on developing educational resources designed to encourage and enable people to express their ideas and opinions in public.

    Read more about SCT’s programmes and projects.

  • Special Initiatives & Resources

    SCT has formed a number of partnerships with major organisations which enable it to pursue special initiatives which it could not undertake alone.

    It has, for example, worked with the Southbank Centre on the production of Speaking Out, a download introducing the basic skills required for confident speaking in public, and with Central St Martins College of Art and Design on the creation of prototype Speakers’ Corners.

    Read More

  • Latest News

    • GM Foods – Feeding the World or Destroying the Planet?

      In the latest in our Forum for Debate series, Professor Jonathan Jones of The Sainsbury Laboratory and Emma Hockridge of the Soil Association argue the case for and against genetically modified food production.

      With the world’s population growing and with it the number of people at risk from starvation or malnutrition, the case for GM seems ever stronger. But is its promise false and even dangerous?

      Does GM provide for more efficient and environmentally friendly food production which benefits the developed and developing worlds alike? Or is it a contaminating threat to conventional crops which allows global businesses to exploit subsistence farmers?

      What are the relative roles of GM and organic farming in meeting the world’s needs? Can a balance be found – or do we have to choose between them?

      You can read the debate here..

  • News In Brief

  • SCT And The Hyde Park Speakers’ Corner

    Important Note: The original Speakers' Corner in London's Hyde Park provides the inspiration for SCT's work but we have no role in its administration or management.

    If you have any enquiries about the Hyde Park Speakers' Corner, you should contact the Royal Parks Agency on +44 (0)300 061 2000.

  • New Online Debate On GM Food Technology

    In the latest in our Forum for Debate series, Professor Jonathan Jones of The Sainsbury Laboratory and Emma Hockridge of the Soil Association argue the case for and against genetically modified food production.

    Read the debate.»

  • Speakers’ Corner at the Brandenburg Gate

    To mark the 22nd anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall SCT, working with the Zentrum für Politische Schönheit and supported by Google, brought a temporary Speakers' Corner to the iconic Brandenburg Gate on 9 November 2011.

    Read about the event.»

    See films of the day on the dedicated YouTube channel.»

  • Leicester Speaks – Now the Movie…And The Sequel!

    In an initiative originated by Speakers' Corner Trust in 2010, 26 local organisations and community groups came together to organise 31 events in 19 venues throughout Leicester during Local Democracy Week.

    And in 2011, the partnership organised an even bigger and better programme.

    Watch the film which captures the 2010 Leicester Speaks spirit.»

    And see the 2011 sequel.»

  • Speaking Out

    Speaking Out is a fifteen minute film jointly commissioned by SCT and the Southbank Centre which seeks to provide inspiration and encouragement to people who have opinions and ideas to communicate - and we need to hear - but perhaps lack the confidence or experience to express publicly.

    View the Film »