Wem students win national Dragon's Den-style competition with sustainable idea
Sixth form students from a college in Shropshire have scooped up first place in a 'Dragon's Den'-style competition after presenting their business idea to a judging panel.
Six A-Level business students from Thomas Adams School, in Wem, presented their idea of the O-Pen – a fully recyclable pen made from ocean-recovered plastics – to guests and the panel at the Livery Academy Awards in London.
The event took place on Tuesday evening at Mansion House and was hosted by the Lord Mayor of the City of London, with more than 185 people in attendance.
The students involved were Keira Kavanagh, Louise Jeavons, Jack Barton, Lowri Tune, Shannon Montane and Emily Watts, known collectively as ‘Scribble.'
The brief for the competition this year was to create a commercially viable and sustainable product or service that will help reduce pollution; protect the environment; reduce carbon footprint or reduce climate temperature.
Mr Mark Cooper, headteacher of the school, attended the prestigious event and said: “It was absolutely amazing to watch a group of Thomas Adams students performing with such confidence in a real pressure environment.
"I was so proud of the whole team and the way they presented themselves and the school.”
Established in 2013, the Livery Academy Awards is a programme designed for City livery companies to foster entrepreneurial, business and presentation skills among sixth form students.
Throughout the process, the sixth form students at Thomas Adams received mentoring support from two Drapers Company business mentors to help with finance, marketing, business and PR skills.
They also received advice, guidance and support from their A Level Business Studies teacher, Amy Glover.
On the night, the judging panel was chaired by Tim Campbell– the first winner of the BBC's ‘The Apprentice’– and company members from the Drapers, Haberdashers, Merchant Taylors and the Mercers were in attendance.
