Lancashire student wins the Most Inspiring Individual Award in national business competition

A student from St Mary’s High School, who set up a business as part of Young Enterprise’s Tenner Challenge, supported by Business Growth Fund, has won the Most Inspiring Individual award in the 11-14 age group for her company Sketch-ie.

Alison Lott set up Sketch-ie to created bespoke caricatures on commission. Sketching in her own personal style, her drwings were customizable to match what customers wanted. Alison approached her classmates and people in her local town of Bamber Bridge.

This year 21,000 students aged 11 to 19 across the UK registered for the free Challenge, which gives young people a taste of what it’s like to be an entrepreneur. Participants are pledged £10 and given one month to make a profit and engage with their community. They have the chance to think of a new business idea and make it happen, using real money to take calculated risks in the business field.

Stephen Welton, chief executive of BGF, said: “This is our second year supporting the Tenner Challenge and I’m hugely impressed with the quality of the businesses and the ideas the students think up.

Michael Mercieca, chief executive of Young Enterprise, said: “Tenner helps schools to provide a range of learning opportunities which develop key character attributes in their students such as resilience, communication and teamwork, which are important in both education and in future employment.