Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Health app trio impress the Dragons
A trio of entrepreneurs from Coatbridge High finished as runners-up in North Lanarkshire’s eighth annual “Dragons’ Lair” competition.
Leah Campbell, Logan Mitchell and Alex Scott impressed judges with their new app, Breathe, to help people deal with mental health issues.
Their technological invention would feature live chats with experts or people dealing with the same issues, a mood diary and helpline phone numbers – aiming to “create a safe community for young people with mental illnesses to prevent them from self-harming and help them deal with their problems”.
Pupils from Our Lady’s High in Cumbernauld took the top prize for their “Little Bag of Hope” project to help people sleeping rough in Glasgow; while the six finalists also included a team from St Ambrose High in Coatbridge.
A total of 72 pupils f rom 16 secondary schools across North Lanarkshire originally entered the competition, run by North Lanarkshire Council and Business Gateway Lanarkshire. Each developed business plans for their ideas, with the finalists pitching their projects to expert “Dragons” Scott Webb of event sponsors UK Steel Enterprise, Denise Canning of 121 HR Solutions, Joanne Telfer of Ten Live Group and Danny Murphy of Gordon Ferguson CA.
Scott said: “This is a superb initiative which introduces young people to the world of business and a potential career option when they finish school.
“I’ve been involved for a number of years and have seen the standard of entries increase year on year; I never fail to be impressed at the ingenuity and effort the young people put into their business plans and it’s getting more and more difficult to select a winner – proof that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in North Lanarkshire.”
Enterprise convener Allan Graham said: “Many of this year’s finalists focused on social enterprises, showing their interest in issues affecting our society and commitment to finding solutions; I commend all our entrants for their initiative and entrepreneurial spirit.”