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16 May 2019
Following their success winning the County Final, six members of ‘Bella Gaia’, St Mary’s Young Enterprise company, went to Kings Weston House near Bristol to represent the school at the Regional Final on Thursday 9th May.
Year 12 girls Amena, Elisabeth, Ella, Isabella, Rose H. and Rose M. set up an innovative and attractive trade stand to promote their range of sustainable gift sets including ‘healthy herbs and surprise succulents’. The girls shone when being interviewed by the panel of judges about all aspects of their company. Furthermore, they enjoyed the opportunity to share their experiences of the company programme with students of other schools that had also won their respective County Finals. To take their minds off the competition, they were also treated to a tour of Kings Weston House and an insight into its history and restoration.
In the afternoon, the girls gave a presentation telling the story of their company to over 100 people, including other Young Enterprise competitors, influential business people and local dignitaries. They then heard from the two guest speakers. David Jarman is Senior Teaching Fellow at the University of Bristol’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He spoke about the importance of students learning to unleash their creativity and to look for ways to turn their ideas into viable enterprises – the Young Enterprise Company Programme is an excellent way for students to do exactly that. Antony Jinman is a polar explorer and CEO of LiketoBe, an online network to help young people to achieve their career aspirations. He told us the story of his expeditions to the Antarctic and how he used them to connect school students with polar scientists. Furthermore, he explained how his journey inspired him to create LiketoBe, with the aim of raising students’ career aspirations and giving them practical connections to help them to achieve their goals. The event was both an amazing learning experience and a celebration of the girls’ achievements throughout the year.
The judges were full of praise for the girls’ efforts both on the day and over the course of the year, saying that they had performed to an exceptional standard. They deservedly won an award for Best Customer Service in the South West.
Congratulations to all the girls involved – they should feel very proud of their achievements. It has been an exciting journey and they have developed a whole host of skills that will be invaluable in their careers.
