A TEAM from The Chase in Malvern won through to represent Worcestershire and Herefordshire in the West Midlands area finals of a students business competition.

It came out top in an event at County Hall, Worcester, when schools representing Bromsgrove, Hereford, Kidderminster, Redditch, Stourport-on-Severn, Malvern and Worcester competed before an audience of 200 business leaders and teaching professionals, giving presentations that charted their Young Enterprise experience.

Other section of the competition included students writing a comprehensive business report documenting the highs and lows of their entrepreneurial experience. Participants were also judged on their trade fair stands, which presented a primary selling opportunity and a chance for them to hone their selling techniques.

Guest speaker at the event was former Worcester King's School student Claire Gott, who took part in Young Enterprise in 2005. She spoke about her experience co-founding international charity Cameroon Catalyst, which she set up after spending her gap year overseas. The charity has created a medical centre, carpentry and mechanical skills workshop, a primary school, an electricity hub and new housing in Bambouti.

Award winners included: best use of IT – Clean Cut, Tudor Grange Academy, Redditch; entrepreneurship award – Venture, The Chase, Malvern; teamwork award – Allied Business, Worcester Sixth Form College; John King award – Luna, King’s School Worcester; social, ethical and environmental award – Fired Up Gifts, North Bromsgrove High School; innovation award – Allied Business, Worcester Sixth Form College; best managing director – Fired Up Gifts, North Bromsgrove High; best company report – Clean Cut, Tudor Grange Academy, Redditch; best presentation – Untitled Visuals, Hereford College of Art; best company runner up – Fired Up Gifts, North Bromsgrove High and best company representing H & W in the West Midlands finals – Venture, The Chase, Malvern.