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Kevan Jones Member of Parliament for North Durham came to visit Tanfield School to see the enterprising efforts of 125 year 10 students during Maths Enterprise Week. Students showcased their business ideas which they had managed to create and sell during a demanding week.

 

Louise Wilkinson from Derwentside Enterprise Agency facilitated a partnership between the Maths department at Tanfield School and international business Formica Group. The partnership created the idea of having a design challenge and Formica’s Director of Innovation Gary Brown tasked students to designing an innovative product for use in the study or work environment.

 

Students explored ideas in order to meet the challenge. They carried out market and customer research, created a budget and business plans as well as pitching to industry experts in a Dragon’s Den. Ideas that experts thought were unique and commercially viable were then produced and sold.

 

Students set out their stalls and sold at Durham City’s Millennium Place using mobile office space, The Launch Pad. Products that went on sale included Bum Bins, specialised cup holders, Photo-Matts and an innovative desk tidy. Customers, Andrew and Sheila Bramley from Nottingham, commented that Quenchy Cup was ‘An Excellent idea as I’m always spilling my drink on my desk. It’s a compact, neat and effective solution.’ Other customers including Jim Liddle from Durham said ‘I can’t believe a product like Bum Bins has never been on Dragon’s Den!’

 

Back in school at the showcase event Kevan Jones and Gary Brown from the Formica Group spent some time looking at all the student’s enterprising ideas and presented them with some awards.

 

Kevan himself became a customer when he ordered a desk tidy. Kevan commented “I’m looking forward to receiving my order; the students were so very creative and even offered to create a bespoke version of the product just for me! I was really impressed by the showcase of some truly unique product ideas that met Formica’s Challenge. It was a real privilege to be asked to the school to meet first hand the students who will be tomorrow’s designers, innovators, entrepreneurs and decision makers.’’