Mid Sussex schools scoop awards in major competition

Students from Hurstpierpoint College and Imberhorne School in East Grinstead took part in the contest known as Young Enterprise.

The Best Company Award went to a team called Bitki from Imberhorne who made and sold terrariums - goldfish bowls filled with cacti and succulents sourced locally.

Runner up was a team called RECO from Hurstpierpoint College who made soft toys handmade from recycled clothes. They won the Sustainability Award category for their products.

Judging of the competition went digital for the first time this year because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Young Enterprise challenges students to set up a company and run it like a normal business.

They get support from local business volunteers who provide advice and guidance throughout a six month process.

The competition initially starts at a local level - with teams from Horsham and Crawley, as well as Mid Sussex pittisng their ideas and business abilities against each other over the length of the academic school year to date for 2020.

The competition then moves to county level, then regional, national and on to European and global levels.

Judges of this year’s local level contest were Kate Bennett, manager of East Grinstead Business Partnership, Rex Whittaker, long-serving businessman from the construction industry; and young entrepreneur and former Young Enterprise participant, Harry Daymond.

They were also joined by the chairman of the board Leigh Chambers who manages employment programmes for Horsham District Council and Young Enterprise manager Matt Ryan.

Six schools took part this year. As well as Hurstpierpoint College and Imberhorne there were school companies from Horsham; Sackville School, East Grinstead; and Warden Park, Cuckfield.

The school companies had to plan, trade, market and develop their businesses over the six month period and at the end of this period, prior to judging, they had to submit a business report and provide a presentation and images of their products on a trade stand.

Both Hurstpierpoint College and Imberhorne School will now go forward to the county finals.

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