HUGE congratulations to our Year 10 team who came runners up at the regional final of the Ryman Ente

HUGE congratulations to our Year 10 team who came runners up at the regional final of the Ryman Enterprise Challenge

The team got through to the last nine out of 190 teams from across the North West and were invited to the regional final at the Halliwell Jones Stadium on Tuesday evening.

The evening involved each team “pitching” their stationery product to over 100 guests including learners, teachers and family members from other Warrington schools plus a panel of three judges from Chester University and the wider business world. Niamh, Josh, Charlie, Emily, Mollie and Cory, all from 10KO, gave a very confident and polished performance and impressed the judges with their innovative product called the “Smartbox”, which is a mail order service for stationery items delivered straight to your door. The team produced a marketing campaign including an in store display, social media competition and YouTube video to show off their creative skills to full effect.

ITV2 magician Ben Hanlin hosted the event. Guests enjoyed a buffet reception and an inspirational speech from Errol Lawson, a self-made entrepreneur who came from a troubled and disadvantaged background. The key message of the night was that we can be a success if we get out of our comfort zones, work hard and aim high.

Our Year 10 learners each received an Amazon voucher and a framed certificate. They now go on to the national final in Telford on 4 July where they will compete against teams from across the county for a chance to be crowned the national winners. The judging panel will include Theo Paphitis, founder of Rymans Stationery Store and former Dragon from BBC’s Dragons’ Den.

We wish them lots of luck in the final stage.