A RENTON Primary School boy has made it to the final of the Voice Box joke-telling competition at the Speaker's House in Westminster.

Since last autumn, hundreds of school children across England,Scotland and Wales have taken part in Voice Box. Twenty made it through to the final in London on March 29 and among them was Cameron Ross, from Renton.

Cameron, 11, delighted the packed audience of politicians, parents and children with his joke: What do you call two banana skins on a carpet? ….A pair of slippers!

When presented with his Voice Box finalist certificate, Cameron said: “I feel really embarrassed and shy.”

Asked what he would like to be when he grows up, he responded: “I want to be a director and host my own cooking show.”

Paula Priestly, acting depute head teacher of Renton Primary told the Reporter: "We are all very proud of Cameron, it's some achievement.

"We held heats in the school first of all between the language unit and the mainstream school and judges from across the authority.

"After that Cameron and one other pupil were put forward and Cameron was picked for the final. It's a great achievement and we couldn't be prouder, he spent the night at the final with his dad Duncan and got a tour of parliament with Martin Docherty-Hughes."

Voice Box is an annual competition, organised by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) and partnered by The Communication Trust. It aims to remind people that there are children in every classroom who need support to help them speak and understand what is being said to them.

Nearly 20 per cent of the population may experience communication difficulties at some point in their lives.

John Bercow, speaker of The House of Commons, said: “I am delighted to be able to host this wonderful event for the third year running. It is extremely important that children with speech, language and communication needs receive the support they require to reach their potential.”

Martin Docherty-Hughes, MP for West Dunbartonshire, who attended the event, added: “I am very pleased to support Cameron Ross at Voice Box. It has shown me how critical communication skills are in determining a child’s life chances.

"As a politician, speaking and listening is a vital part of my life and I really value the work done by teachers and speech and language therapists to enable others, including children, to communicate more easily.

“Cameron is a credit to Renton and the entire community of West Dunbartonshire.”