latest news

LEO Celebrates Global Entrepreneurship Week in Style

Enterprising Students Reveal Their Success at the Enterprise Oscars

Oscar glamour came to Mansfield last Wednesday, as winning teams of enterprising students from 12 schools found out which team had won an all-expenses paid trip to New York. The winners of this and a host of other Enterprise Oscar categories were announced at an Oscar-themed event held at the Mansfield Civic Centre on November 18th as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week.

After months of activity in schools and districts, 22 teams from 12 schools competed in the LEO Enterprise Challenge Dragons’ Den Event on the 7th October. The winners from each school were announced on the day. The journey started in May for some of the teams, when no limits education ran an Enterprise Challenge Event for the whole of Year 9 in their school. Participants had to come up with a business idea, and then produced all the materials to “sell” that idea to a panel of judges from the world of business.

Since last May, the Year 9 students (now Year 10) from secondary schools in the districts of Ashfield, Mansfield and Bolsover have been developing their business ideas. They showcased their products and ideas last month, when they were judged by a panel of local business owners, school governors and politicians, including Mansfield’s Executive Mayor. As part of their presentations, the students created television adverts, radio jingles and business plans in addition to a “Dragons’ Den”-type pitch.

Teams were initially judged by the District Panels, selecting one winner from each school. In addition to an overall winner, the 12 school winning teams could win awards in other categories including Most Viable Business Idea, Most Creative Idea, Best TV Advert, and Most Resourceful Team. A total of 28 awards were presented on the night. Winners in each category received a trophy, styled like a real “Oscar”. Each of the 12 school winning teams also received a £100 grant to help them take forward their business idea. The winning team from each District won a trip to Alton Towers. The Overall Winning Team won the trip to New York, including visits to Reuters, The Bank of New York, taking in a baseball game, and other fun activities.

The top 2 teams from each school then went on to district events, where they worked with LEO Business Coaches and the no limits team to improve their business and presentation skills. All this activity is supported by LEO and is part of the Enterprise Academy project to increase enterprise activity in schools and to support young entrepreneurs.

The atmosphere on Wednesday night was electric, as the teams had been waiting with great anticipation to find out who’d won the New York trip and a host of other Oscars! Over 270 guests joined the celebrations, including the teams themselves, their parents, and staff and governors from their schools. A host of local political, community and business leaders were also there to present prizes and join in the celebrations.

The whole enterprise challenge event programme has been designed and delivered by no limits education, a local company that has been working with LEO for the past two and a half years to improve the delivery of enterprise education within secondary schools. LEO is a partnership of the Ashfield, Mansfield and Bolsover District Councils and is funded by the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative. LEO (Local Enterprise Organisation) provides free support to start-up and existing businesses within Ashfield, Mansfield and Bolsover Districts and funds the Enterprise Academy work done by no limits education.

Quotes:

“Great kids, great event, great organisation.” That was the conclusion drawn by Tony Egginton, the Executive Mayor for Mansfield District as he coffered the LEO Enterprise Oscar Overall Winner prize on the Snazzy Snacker team from Ashfield School at a fantastic event held at the Mansfield Civic Centre last night. Schools from across the Ashfield, Bolsover and Mansfield districts have been competing in the Enterprise Academy programme, designed and delivered by no limits education, for the past 6 months and last night saw the winners crowned. Their prize will be an all expenses paid trip to New York. Teams from Sutton Centre, Bolsover School and Manor School won the district rounds, but it was Ashfield School who came out on top. Well done to all for a superb programme.

Chris Shaw, Chief Executive of emda’s unleashing enterprise campaign comments on the Enterprise Oscars.

 

(Awarded by Pete Topley, Sales Director, Mansfield 103.2)

Frederick Gent

Best TV Advert:

(Awarded by Katie Atherton, A Star Media)

Heritage School

Best Radio Jingle:

(Awarded by Alison North, Economic Regeneration Officer, Mansfield District Council)

Kirkby College

Most Resourceful Team: 

(Awarded by Beverley Burton, founder of no limits and Enterprise Academy Project Manager)

Bolsover School

Ashfield District Winner:

Sutton Centre

Ashfield District Winners receieve their award from Cllr John Wilmot, Deputy Leader, Ashfield District Council and LEO Board Member.

Bolsover District Winner:

Bolsover School

Bolsover District Winners, Fitness Fun from Bolsover School receive their award from Cllr Alan Tomlinson Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Bolsover District Council and LEO Board member.

Mansfield District Winner:

Manor School

Mansfield District Winning Team, Sequel from Manor School receive their Award from Cllr Kate Allsop, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Mansfield District Council and LEO Board Member.

Leo Enterprise Challenge Overall Winner:

Ashfield School

The Overall Winning Team, Snazzy Snacker celebrate with Mansfield Executive Mayor, Tony Egginton, Youth Mayor, LEO Board Members and no limits education.

To download all of the photos from the evening please click below

Leo Enterprise Challenge Oscar Photoset (17094 KB)

Tuesday 17th November 2009

So the Enterprise Academy Oscars are nearly upon us. We're a little over 24 hours away from knowing which school team has been crowned the overall LEO Enterprise Oscars Winner for 2009. 

We're not just having one award though, we have a raft of different awards and prizes being given out tomorrow evening. These include....

1. “Most Creative Idea”
2. “Most Viable Idea”
3. "Teamwork Award”
4. “Outstanding Presentation”
5. “Best Business Plan”
6. “Best Marketing Strategy”
7. “Best TV Advert”
8. “Best Radio Jingle”
9. “Most Resourceful Team”
10. “Individual Outstanding Contribution – Ashfield District”
11. “Individual Outstanding Contribution – Mansfield District”
12. “Individual Outstanding Contribution – Bolsover District”
13. "Mansfield District Winning team"
14. "Ashfield District Winning team"
15. "Bolsover District Winning team"
16. "Overall Winners"

We'll also be giving away some amazing prizes too, including...

• £100 "seed corn" money for each winning team from each of the 12 schools to develop their enterprise idea
• An official Oscars trophy for every winner of the 16 Oscars categories
• Each District winning team from our 3 districts will receive an all expenses paid trip to Alton Towers
• and of course our Overall winner will get to go on an amazing all expenses paid trip to New York.

We'll announce the results here on Thursday morning so come back and see who won what.

Wednesday 11th November 2009

Well we're now only a week away from the Enterprise Academy Oscars. A glitz and glamour event for all of the 12 schools who have taken part in the Enterprise Academy Enterprise Challenge Events throughout the past 12 months.

We're really excited about being able to showcase the amazing ideas young people from all over the local area have come up with in such a short space of time, as well as being able to announce which team has won an all expenses paid trip to New York!

Keep checking back throughout the week as well keep you updated on the other prizes as well as some of the awards we'll be giving away on the night. 

---

The enterprise academy project is becoming a cases study for EMDA’s Unleashing Enterprise campaign

press releases

Enterprise challenge 2009 press release (376 KB)

Dragons Den Event (96 KB)

Dragons Den Winner (94 KB)

no limits win tender (59 KB)