Students from Farnborough Hill have been crowned Best Overall Company at the Young Enterprise North Hampshire Showcase Area Final.
The final, held at The Apollo Hotel, Basingstoke on 7 May celebrated students who have set up and run a company over the academic year as part of the HSBC supported Young Enterprise Company Programme. Students have made all the decisions about their business, from deciding the company name and product, to creating a business plan, managing their finances and selling their products.
Six teams from schools and colleges in North Hampshire competed for prizes across many categories. The winning team (Destination from Farnborough Hill) and the Runners up (Veditus from Brighton Hill Community College), will go on to represent North Hampshire at the Hampshire Final at the Ordnance Survey HQ near Southampton on 15 May.
The winning team, Destination, upcycle old jumpers and embroider their logo on them giving them new owners and a new lease of life. The team said that they were “thrilled to have won and to be going to the county finals!”
The companies were judged by Daniel Garnier- Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, Keisha Smith – WSP Basingstoke, Paula Sullivan – DXC Technology and Genevieve Touzin – Face TV.
The judges also awarded Best Report, Best Trade Stand and Best Team awards to students from The Costello School, Farnborough Hill and Salesian College. In addition, Farnborough Hill pupil Charlotte was also awarded the ‘Journey Award’ in recognition of the personal development and accomplishments she had made through her participation in the YE programme.
Roy Howard, Operations Director for Young Enterprise in the South East, said: “I would like to congratulate the students all the students involved. It's the ultimate measure of many months of hard work, representing their creativity, resilience and business acumen - I wish the top two teams the best of luck for the next round and beyond.
Pauline Hedges, long term YE volunteer said: “It was a really inspiring night – the enthusiasm and dedication of all the teams was infectious. They are truly amazing young people and will have demonstrated to the judges what a small group of teenagers can achieve. Good luck to the two teams for the County Finals, I will be there cheering them on! It is a privilege to be involved with YE”.
All the judges said how much fun it was to be involved and said how inspiring each and every team was in their innovative ideas, all of which showed a very real concern and understanding for sustainability and recycling.