North Cumbria Young Enterprise

Enterprising pupil wins Civic Award

Deputy Mayor Cllr Jacquelyne Geddes is set to present Caldew School pupil Elliot Shekall, with a Civic plaque to mark his achievement in becoming Cumbrian Young Enterprise Achiever of the Year. The award is being presented on Friday 17 August at 3.30pm in the Civic Centre Law Library, to which members of the media are invited.

Elliot was appointed managing director of the Caldew School Young Enterprise team Activ8, which pupils set up to promote healthy eating and fitness for other secondary schools pupils. Some of the innovative ideas the company came up with included selling seeds to grow vegetables for recipes and a school canteen loyalty card.

Ideas like these won Elliot the North Cumbria Young Enterprise Achiever of the Year award, with him subsequently being put forward as North Cumbria's nominee for the Cumbria Young Enterprise Achiever of the Year award, where once more his efforts were rewarded, when he won the award.

Elliot has continued to demonstrate his business flair, he has now gone into partnership with Tom March, the managing director of the Nelson Thomlinson Young Enterprise team to form 'InTox Media'. A company aimed at producing affordable high quality music recordings for local musicians, who wouldn't usually attract the attention of a professional record label. Elliot said they found the company because, "we wanted to give artists with a low budget the opportunity to record their music, and make local music more accessible to a wider audience."

All the secondary schools in Carlisle plus those in Eden, Brampton and Wigton are involved in the Young Enterprise Company scheme, where young people aged 15 - 18 set up and run a real business. They raise capital, make products or provide services and sell them. They do this for approximately eight months during which they take part in trade events where members of the local business community judge them.

Andrew Dodds, Chair of Young Enterprise North Cumbria, noted:

that this is an excellent demonstration of the benefits that can be derived from the Young Enterprise scheme, in terms of essential life skills and the creation of an enterprising culture. The award of Cumbrian Achiever of the Year is a real accomplishment for Elliot, and recognises the drive that is sure to make InTox Media a success.

Cllr Marilyn Bowman portfolio holder for Economic Development and Enterprise said:

the City Council is not only involved in helping to support the charity it supports the students themselves. I have really enjoyed working with members of Young Enterprise in the past, and I have frequently been amazed by pupils like Elliot especially by their dedication and commitment, he embodies the Young Enterprise motto of 'learning by doing'.