Pupils from across Darlington recently took part in the third annual final of Bannatyne’s Bright Sparks.
Celebrity business tycoon and star of BBC TV’s Dragon’s Den programme Duncan Bannatyne, headed the panel of judges at the education and enterprise competition.
The event, organised by Darlington Borough Council with Durham Education Business Partnership, is aimed at encouraging enterprise among secondary school pupils.
Each school team devised a business concept with a mentor from local companies to help them progress their ideas ready to face the judges at the final when they presented their business to a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style panel.
Mr Bannatyne and the other judges: Laura Woods, Director of Academic Enterprise at Teesside University; David Cox, Executive Director of Humantics Community Interest Company and Charlotte Nichols, founder of Harvey and Hugo PR, had the difficult task of deciding the overall winner.
The schools taking part were Carmel RC College, St Aidan’s CE Academy, Longfield, Polam Hall, Hurworth, Education Village, Hummersknott and Hurworth House.
The overall winner was the Education Village: Robert Smith, Rebecca Bramfitt, Aimee Gilbert and Josh Wakeford, who took the £1,000 prize donated by Mr Bannatyne. The £250 prize for the best advertising went to Polam Hall and a £250 prize for best business plan was won by Hummersknott School.
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