Pupils team up for hospice challenge

STUART PIKE

FIVE Rossendale schools face a challenge of their entrepreneurial skills in a contest to raise money for a local charity.

The Youth Enterprise Challenge will see teams from Alder Grange, All Saints, Fearns, Haslingden High and Whitworth High come up with enterprising initiatives, with all the proceeds going to Rossendale Hospice.

The Year 10 school teams will link up with a mentor from a local business, who have each kickstarted their project with a £50 donation. Each team will aim to use the investment to generate as much income as they can to benefit local people, but there are other prizes for presentation skills, innovation and community involvement. ●● Pupils Alysha Quigley (Whitworth High School) and Luke Disley (Alder Grange) with, from left, Les Nutter (Cassons), mayor Colin Crawforth, Clare Richards (Rossendale Hospice) and mayoress Denise Crawforth

The mentoring businesses are solicitors Mulderrigs (All Saints), accountants Cassons (Haslingden High), estate agents Farrow and Farrow (Alder Grange), Rossendale Leisure Trust (Fearns) and marketing agency D and M Creative (Whitworth High School).

The challenge is organ- ised jointly by the hospice, its Corporate Ambassadors Group and Alder Grange, where a launch event saw school groups meet the mentors.

The challenge has raised more than £14,000 for the hospice since it started two years ago.

Clare Richards, hospice fundraising manager, said: “The Youth Enterprise Challenge also represents a fantastic opportunity for the young people taking part. They’ll work together in a team to organise their enterprising ideas, gain practical advice from their mentors and learn new skills including budgeting, time management, report writ- ing, public speaking – all relevant to their future careers. We’re grateful to all the businesses.”

Les Nutter, Cassons’ managing partner, heads up the Corporate Ambassadors Group.

He said: “Each year the students come up with some great fundraising ideas and it will be great to see how this new group of students rise to the challenge. I’m confident this year’s contest will be a great success too.”

The challenge will be celebrated next February at Alder Grange when each school will present their efforts to the judges: Mayor of Rossendale, Coun Colin Crawforth, Stephen Greenhalgh, managing director of JJO, Anita Kenyon, MD of Arthouse, and Irene Chambers, fundraising trustee of Rossendale Hospice. The six winners will also be revealed along with the grand total raised. ●● Mayor of Hyndburn Peter Britcliffe trying out - the disabled hoist and ramp in Haslingden