Dover Grammar School for Boys showed their business savvy and wowed the Young Enterprise UK judges, by scooping the runner-up place at the Young Enterprise Company Programme National Final held at The Park Lane Hotel in London. 'The Green Footprint Group', a team from Dover Grammar School for Boys, had already won the Young Enterprise South East Regional Final, held in Horsham last month, and represented the region, competing against 11 other regional finalists from across the UK.
Jack Williams, Managing Director of The Green Footprint Group said: "We are absolutely thrilled with reaching second place out of 3,000 companies. Our Young Enterprise experience has allowed us to form strong partnerships that have enabled us to improve and protect the environment and at the same time have great fun! Furthermore, this has been a real learning curve from which we have all had many great experiences and learnt so much. Young Enterprise has now given us the confidence to turn The Green Footprint Group into a Limited company!"
The Green Footprint Group produced and sold reusable cotton carrier bags and created and ran Eco Road Shows and Eco Conferences.
Throughout the past year more than 40,000 students across the United Kingdom formed 3,000 business teams through Young Enterprise, a national educational charity which encourages key business skills in young people. Each student team is assigned a business adviser from the local business community who donate their time for free.
Yvonne Mwaiwi and Les Godley, from the Dover Harbour Board and proud business advisers of Young Enterprise said: "Working with the Green Footprint Group has been a real privilege. A shared adventure in which not only have we all learned new skills which will benefit each and every one of us, but also one from which the rewards in seeing the students grow and flourish, truly is priceless!"
David Howarth, Young Enterprise Link teacher at Dover Grammar School for Boys said: "They have learned so much, they have developed enormously their interpersonal, problem solving, teamworking and communication skills, they have laid a solid foundation for the further development of Young Enterprise at our school. I am very proud of their dedication and determination to be successful and their confidence for the future."
Chief Executive of Young Enterprise South East, Jan Sharman said: "The students have done incredibly well and we are absolutely delighted for the team, they have worked extremely hard and are worthy winners. The fact that the two top schools in the UK happen to be from the State sector, shows that Young Enterprise really is bringing out the best of all our young people, whatever their background."
The Green Footprint Group team consists of Jack Williams (Managing Director), Katy Tipping (Company Secretary), Jethro Thompson (Operations Director), Sam Douglas (Marketing Director), Tom Etheridge (Human Resources Director), Izaak Wilson (Finance Director) and Ben Hindle (Sales Director).
