Belford pupils show '˜i' for entrepreneurship

A bespoke iPhone holder made out of wood by Belford students has won the 2016 Bedmax Young Entrepreneurs award.
Teacher Tony Palmer, St Mary's Middle School pupils Charlotte Walton, Max Humphreys and Imogen Blythe with Bedmax MD Tim Smalley.Teacher Tony Palmer, St Mary's Middle School pupils Charlotte Walton, Max Humphreys and Imogen Blythe with Bedmax MD Tim Smalley.
Teacher Tony Palmer, St Mary's Middle School pupils Charlotte Walton, Max Humphreys and Imogen Blythe with Bedmax MD Tim Smalley.

The winning team that came up with the iHold comprised Charlotte Walton, Max Humphreys and Imogen Blythe, from St Mary’s Middle School.

The Year 8s took part in the competition to create an innovative product out of wood with a unique selling point. They had to complete market research and devise a brand identity to attract the attention of potential buyers for that product.

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Out of the seven teams, the winner was chosen by the Bedmax panel – managing director Tim Smalley, office manager Alex Adams and marketing manager Barbara Huddart.

The only criterion was that their product idea must be made from an element of a pine log, such as the bark or the log itself.

Tim said: “We specifically looked and judged the teams on their product design, presentation, research, branding, marketing, costing analysis and target audiences of each of the products. The design of the iPhone holder and the research the team had put into it was outstanding.

“In fact all the teams had put a tremendous amount of work into the entire project, and the standard far exceeded our expectations.”

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The winning team won a trophy and £200 in book tokens for the school.

Tony Palmer, senior science and technology teacher, said: “I am delighted with the amount of time and effort each team put into their design and business plan.

“The project ticked all the boxes for us in terms of challenging the children and making full use of all their skills.”