In The Press
Success in the bag as school team heads for regional finals
From Bath Chronicle Thu 20 Mar, 2008
SUCCESS IS IN THE BAG AS SCHOOL TEAM HEADS FOR REGIONAL FINALS
Enterprising students in Bath could soon be attracting Sir Alan Sugar’s eye after devising some prize winning business plans.
Pupils from the Royal High School’s lower sixth form fought off teams from across B&NES to clinch the runner-up slot in the area’s 2008 Young Enterprise Company of the Year competition.
Students from the Tree Huggers and Cake Lovers team walked away with a range of awards from this year’s event after impressing judges with their eco-friendly bags for sustainable living.
Team members Katherine Hall, Emily Braham, Henrietta Young, Hasina Meghji, Emma Ferguson, Sophie Levenson and Jo Roberts were presented with the Judges’ Special Award.
They also received the Connexions Award for best trade stand, the Lloyds TSB shield for best report, and the Bath and North East Somerset Council chairman’s award for innovation.
Royal High School spokesman Deryck Goodman said: “The Young Enterprise competition is a great way in which kids can develop some of their entrepreneurial skills.
“It’s about leadership, teamwork and problem solving.
“They have to have good presentation skills and sell their products to the pubic and produce attractive ways of displaying their products.
“There is something for everybody with Young Enterprise because business is all about teamwork.”
The top prize, the HSBC cup for the best overall company went to Writhlington School in Radstock, whose team Bonk impressed the judges with a book on growing the perfect orchid.
Finalists in the competition also included the Royal High School’s Pet Necessities, which manufactures products for household pets, and Knicker Boxer Glory, which supplies individually designed underwear.
Members of Bonk and Tree Huggers and Cake Lovers will now battle it out against teams from Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset in the next event in the Young Enterprise calendar at Bristol’s St Monica’s Trust on May 14.
Winners in Bristol will then go on to a regional final in Gloucester in June. If they are successful there, they will secure a place in the national finals in London in July.
National finalists could then find themselves competing on a global scale in a worldwide Young Enterprise contest later in the year.
Young Enterprise South West development manger Lucy Culverhouse said: “The standard in this year’s competition is really good. The product ideas have been very well thought out and very innovative.”
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