A teenager from Thetford had an important message to tell young people at a major speaking event held in Norwich - 'don't be afraid to be yourselves'.

Eastern Daily Press: Jon Briggs, TEDxNorwichED organiser and journalist Jon Briggs, with Thetford Academy student Millie Honour. Millie was chosen to speak at the event. Picture: Camouflaged LearningJon Briggs, TEDxNorwichED organiser and journalist Jon Briggs, with Thetford Academy student Millie Honour. Millie was chosen to speak at the event. Picture: Camouflaged Learning (Image: Archant)

Millie Honour, a year-10 Thetford Academy pupil, took to the stage at the TEDxNorwichED Inspiring Generations event at The Space to encourage young people to try new things without fear of failure or embarrassment.

The 14-year-old was one of two pupils to join the line-up for the day of talks, which included speakers from the worlds of business, education and the media.

The event, which was hosted by broadcast journalist Jon Briggs - the voice of Apple's iPhone assistant Siri.

Millie was chosen to speak after she stood out at public speaking workshops run at the school by Matt Bagley, director of doing at educational project Camouflaged Learning.

Mr Bagley ran workshops for 255 students at 10 schools across the region to find two young speakers for the event.

Out of 23 year-10 students from Thetford Academy who took part in the workshops, Millie's confidence and passion for her topic shone through.

She said: 'I was really surprised to be selected from so many students and schools.

'The week running up to the talk I felt really nervous, but Matt coached me through it.

'My friends and family were really supportive too. The day was amazing and my mum, dad, brother, and I were treated like VIPs.

'Just before I spoke, I almost forgot what I was going to talk about - but I took a breath and then I really began to believe what I was saying, even more than I had before, and it just flowed. The audience's reaction was fantastic.'

Thetford Academy's careers advisor Sue Scott said the school was 'proud' of Millie.

She said: 'We were thrilled to find out that Millie had been chosen to speak at such a prestigious event.

'Millie's talk was amazing and she held the stage with great confidence, demonstrating the fantastic talent of the young people in our region.

'We are all incredibly proud of Millie and her incredible achievement.'