Enterprising Greenford Students Win at Trade Fair

Pupils beat 200 others selling products at Old Spitalfields

Students from Greenford School beat 200 others to take away a top business award.

On Wednesday 8th February more than 50 Young Enterprise student companies pitched and sold their products at Old Spitalfields Market in East London.

The event, sponsored by Delta Air Lines, saw young entrepreneurs selling innovative products including chopping boards which expanded to collect food waste, waterproof notepads and football boot enhancing products which give players more power when striking a football.

The majority of students who pitched their products at Old Spitalfields Market are taking part in Young Enterprise’s flagship Company Programme. Company Programme empowers young people aged 15-19 to set up and run a real business over an academic year. Young people make all the decisions about their business, from deciding on the company name and product, to creating a business plan, managing their finances and selling their products.

Young Enterprise research shows Company Programme participants develop key employability skills and a longitudinal study of Company Programme alumni has shown that in the two years following their company’s closure, 95% are in education, employment or training [EET] – 7% higher than the national rate of 88%.

Judges on the day included Paul Sullivan and Samuel Boateng from BBC’s The Apprentice and Jeff Moomaw, Delta’s Managing Director – U.K. Alliance Development. The judges awarded prizes for Best Trade Stand, Best Sales Team, Most Innovative Product and Best Overall Company. The Winners were:

Greenford High School students sold personalised reed diffusers with custom blends, packaging and bottles under the trade name 'Finesse' and were awarded Best Trade Stand.

Michael Mercieca, Young Enterprise Chief Executive, said: “I’m delighted that over 50 student companies and 200 students braved the cold and made Spitalfields market trade fair a fantastic success.

“This is one of over 100 Company trade fairs that we run across the UK engaging 19,000 students. It's the ultimate measure of students’ hard work, representing their creativity, resilience and business acumen. You don’t get this stuff from a text book and we are greatly encouraged by our research which shows that 95% of Company alumni go on to education, employment or training - 7% higher than the national average of 88%.”

Jeff Moomaw, Event Judge and Delta’s Managing Director – U.K. Alliance Development, said: “The companies and products on display at Spitalfields were all very impressive, which made choosing a winner very difficult. I’m sure the experience the students have gained and skills they have developed will stay with them for many years to come and influence their future career decisions.” 

14th February 2017