Students across Bury have showed their business talent in a challenge in the mould of BBC hit show "The Apprentice".
The Bury Hospice Young Business Innovation Team Challenge paired students with business leaders who acted as their mentor and guide for the competition.
The mentors provided their teams with an initial fund of £50 and helped them create and execute an innovative business plan over a number of weeks, using the £50 as a start-up investment.
The schools which took part were Bury College, Philips High School and Unsworth Academy.
Bury College was supported by Helen Clayton, a Partner at PM+M, an independent firm of accountants, financial planners and business advisors.
Philips High School was mentored by Bury Hospice trustee, Tom Postlewaite, of PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Unsworth Academy worked with Christian Pepper and Sarah Kendell, of Financial Options Group.
The teams, teachers and mentors attended an awards ceremony at The Stables Country Club last Wednesday, June 15 when prizes were awarded.
The winners were:
Best Business Plan (judged by Chris Claydon-Butler, Bury Hospice chair of trustees) - Unsworth Academy
Most Innovative Idea (judged by Debi Fellone from Made in Bury) - Philips High School.
Best Publicity and Social Media Coverage (judged by Richard Duggan, regional editor for Lancashire and Greater Manchester at Newsquest Media Group) - Unsworth Academy
Best Promotional Video (judged by Tim Moore from Roch Valley Radio and JP Woffenden Pixelwave Creative) - Bury College
Most Money Raised - Unsworth Academy with a total amount of £3,514.67
Overall Challenge Winners (agreed by all the judges and presented by Bury Hospice CEO Helen Lockwood) - Unsworth Academy
Founder and CEO of the Financial Options Group, Christian Pepper, said: “What an achievement.
"Congratulations to these young entrepreneurs in the making.
“We have been so impressed by the students of Unsworth Academy’s Charity Committee, having successfully developed a business plan for the Bury Hospice Schools Innovation Challenge and executing their plan with amazing results.
“The charity sub committees’ input and effort in the challenge was amazing and they were deserved winners.
“In the first year as a mentor myself, Sarah Kendell and all of us at the Financial Options Group couldn’t be prouder of them.
"A huge well done to everyone involved.”
Richard Duggan, regional editor for Lancashire and Greater Manchester at Newsquest Media Group, who is the Bury Times editor, was invited to judge the Best Publicity and Social Media Coverage Award.
He said: "It was a privilege to judge a category and to see the fantastic work all three groups had done in order to raise much-needed funds for Bury Hospice.
"Unsworth Academy's use of social media, as well as their overall performance, really blew me away and they were very worthy overall winners.
"Well done to all who took part - Bury has some very bright minds who will no doubt go far in the future."
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