CREATING safety lights for rowing boats was the innovative idea which won students from Skibbereen Community School the overall senior prize at the recent West Cork Student Enterprise finals in Fernhill House Hotel.
They will now take their business ‘Be Bright,’ to County Hall on March 24th.
The winners of the junior category, Beez Wraps, from Sacred Heart Secondary School in Clonakilty, will also compete against the North Cork winners for a place at the Student Enterprise National finals in Croke Park in May.
The winning teams have worked hard on creating their respective businesses since last September and beat off competition from more than 450 pupils throughout 10 secondary schools in West Cork.
Oisin Boyle, managing director, Be Bright, said: ‘To take first place in the West Cork finals is a huge achievement. We are delighted to represent West Cork and hopefully will also be chosen to represent the Cork North and West region at the national finals in May. Either way, we are going to continue on with the business which we love working on, as it is the perfect solution to staying safe on the water.
We are currently looking at new routes to market and have received many enquiries from rowing clubs both at home and abroad so the future is definitely bright.’
Other prizewinners on the day included Éire le Chéile, a board game for the visually impaired which resulted in second place and the award for innovation for Mount Saint Michael in Rosscarbery; Smashed from Sacred Heart in Clonakilty; Cartaí Choiche, Colaiste na Toirbhirte, Bandon (joint third place); McCarthy Sports, (best use of social media) Clonakilty Community College; Bam Cups, (best display), MICC Dunmanway, and Button Up (social enterprise award) from Kinsale Community School.
Madeline Stanley and Lauren Brampton from Schull Community College were awarded a special entrepreneurs of the future award for their business venture Sustainabilitrees.
Kevin Curran, head of enterprise, local Enterprise Office Cork North and West congratulated all the students and also their dedicated teachers for their participation in the programme, while also praising the immense task given to the judges who were: Stephen Rowe, manager, AIB Clonakilty, Sandra Maybury, NetAassist and Kieran Collins, Ludgate, who had the tough task of choosing the winners.
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