Pupils from across the North West battled it out at a regional competition designed to showcase their entrepreneurial and sustainability skillsets.

The Lancaster University Management School (LUMS) 100-Day Entrepreneurship Challenge saw 12 teams from seven schools and colleges compete to impress judges with their business projects.

Each had to come up with a business idea addressing one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They would define the market for their products and how they would stand out, before planning their objectives, strategies, and financials – all in the space of 100 days.

Initiatives including planet-friendly transport solutions, a sustainable fashion app, and a food wastage app, were among the entries.

Event co-organiser Aleksandra Dabrowska, Undergraduate Recruitment and Conversion Officer in LUMS, said: “It is always great to welcome pupils into LUMS for the 100-Day Entrepreneurship Challenge, and to see the many wonderful business ideas they have come up with.

“It was inspiring to see the different ways the teams devised to both create sustainable businesses, and one they believed could make a profit – essential to any successful entrepreneurial venture.

“We were impressed with all of the teams who took part, and hope that they all gained a lot from the experience of setting up their own businesses, and from the feedback from the expert judges.”

Judges from LUMS, including entrepreneurship lecturers and business owners who are members of the School’s Entrepreneurs in Residence network, cast an eye over all the projects.

The winning team was Eco Structure (pictured above), from Merchant Taylors' School, near Liverpool. Their project involving manufacturing building insulation from sustainable materials stood out as particularly impressive.

The Eco Drive team from Runshaw College, in Leyland, and Blackburn College’s Seed Haven (both pictured below) finished joint-second, while the People’s Choice Award – voted on by the audience on the day – went to Home-Less, from Burnley College.

Other groups taking part were from Our Lady's Catholic College, Lancaster; Holy Cross College, Bury; and Thornleigh Salesian College, from near Bolton.

“It’s a whole other level of real experience for the students,” said teacher Scott Lumley, from Blackburn College. “The emphasis on entrepreneurship makes the whole experience really inclusive; it’s great. It promotes entrepreneurship as sitting alongside all industries; we’ve got engineers with us, alongside business students.”

James Lindsay, a teacher from Holy Cross College added: “It’s been great for skills development and the experience of working in a new group and connecting classroom theory with real-world business.”