Member Article

Westfield girls win Toon stars’ support

A Newcastle school with a history of national success in a business enterprise competition is on the road to glory again after picking up ‘best company’ at the local heats.

Westfield School for Girls in Gosforth has made it to the national finals of the Young Enterprise contest three times and this year’s company, called Boom, looks set for victory again.

This year, the students have concentrated their efforts on an intricate importing structure to their business, buying in contemporary water speakers and zip-up earphones in bulk before marketing them and selling them on at a profit to customers across the North East.

Their marketing has even attracted a number of players at Newcastle United, who invited them into their Long Benton training facilities to showcase the two products.

Head of Business Studies at Westfield School, Christine Gaynor, said “It’s very early in the competition, but all the signs are there that this group will follow in the footsteps of all the other teams in the last few years.

“The students have come so close in the last few years to scooping the national title of best company, so it would be wonderful to think we could make it this year. The response to the girls’ efforts from the North East consumers has been phenomenal, not least from the players and staff at Newcastle United who were tremendously impressed.”

Students making up the Boom team worked hard to research and source their products from a supplier in the Far East. Boom’s water speakers are a contemporary set of water filled speakers which come to life when plugged into their sound source. The ‘zip up’ earphones offer a clever way of avoiding that infuriating fiddling about, trying to unravel tangled earphones.

One of the students leading the efforts for Westfield is Millie Kell-Stone. She said: “We spent a great deal of time trying to find the right supplier, and we’re very happy with the relationship we have with them now.

“It was an amazing opportunity to showcase the products at Newcastle United. One of the staff there heard about our efforts and invited us in. The players were all really helpful and signed our branding boards. Peter Beardsley had some great advice for us and we also got the chance to get some pictures with the players.

“The important thing is, we also persuaded them to put some orders in too!”

Mrs Gaynor added “Sourcing and engaging a reliable supplier with a quality product is the lifeblood of many businesses, so it’s great to see the girls take to the task with such eagerness and thoroughness.

This will prepare them brilliantly for a time in the future where an understanding and experience of these practices could be invaluable to a potential employer. We’re very proud of them.“

Boom has also been helped by Charlotte Harbottle, who has been into school to mentor the Boom team. She owns the successful Charlotte’s Butchery in Gosforth.

She said “I remember my time in the Young Enterprise competition from a good few years ago. There are things learned then that I still put into practice today. This current crop are showing a real flair and a natural head for business. It’s an honour to be a part of it.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Westfield School for Girls .