STOCKPORT’S YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS CHOSEN

The final of the Stockport Young Entrepreneurs of the Year, involving around 250 schoolchildren took place earlier this month at Stockport Town Hall.

Overall winners were the children from Gatley Primary, who impressed the judges with their company –
‘60 Ways to Survive the Summer’, producing a pocket guide full of simple suggestions for childrens activities for a super summer. The team also set up a website with online purchasing available.

Pictured are some of the young people who took part in Stockport’s Young Entrepreneurs of the Year competition; the winners and runner ups received their trophy from Ruth Badger, business guru and star of BBC TV series The Apprentice.

Runners up were St Simon’s Catholic Primary School who set up and ran ‘Bagtivity’; they designd and produced a family activity games bag.

The best trade stand at the final, voted for by other children at the event, was Freshfield Nursery School, who set up a mini garden centre, producing and selling garden items and plants.

The children, some as young as four, from 18 primary schools were each allocated £400 through Stockport Council’s School Improvement Service to set-up and run a small business. They did their own market research and designed, produced, advertised and sold their products. Each child had a role within the ‘company’ such as finance director or marketing manager, all supported by a business mentor – a local business person – who generously gave their time and expertise to help the pupils.

The climax, in front of over 600 people at Stockport Town Hall on 18^th July, was in the style of the Dragon’s Den where the children ran trade stands displaying their products with the school’s business links, acting as ‘Dragons’, interviewed and judged each company.