VISIT US 
CONTACT US 
SUPPORT US
APPLY NOW
What a year it has been for Young Enterprise at Channing! Our student entrepreneurs have enjoyed a truly remarkable journey, transforming bright ideas into award-winning businesses and taking on some of the best young companies in the country.
The adventure began back in November when our two exciting teams launched their businesses. Team Ignite, a collaboration between Channing and St Aloysius’ College, and Cash Me If You Can, an all-Channing team, started the year full of enthusiasm, creativity and ambition. Their first foray into the business world came at the Junior School Winter Fair, where students conducted market research and sold what became the foundation of their brands. As their ideas developed, the teams evolved into two thriving companies: Seeds&Greetings and Interlinked.
Seeds&Greetings tackled a global problem with a simple solution. Shocked by the statistic that over one billion greeting cards are thrown away each January, the team created plantable greeting cards made from recycled paper embedded with wildflower seeds. Their innovative product eventually included a unique digital feature called Seeds Sounds, allowing customers to attach a voice recording to their card.
Meanwhile, Interlinked focused on strengthening community spirit at Channing. Their handmade accessories and personalised keyrings helped students customise bags, phones and jackets, quickly becoming popular across both the Junior and Senior Schools.
The teams took their products to major Young Enterprise trade fairs at Spitalfields and Brent Cross in March, where their success was immediate. At Spitalfields, the Channing teams won two of the five available awards, with Interlink claiming Best Customer Service and Seeds&Greetings winning Best Sustainability. At Brent Cross, Seeds&Greetings went one step further, taking home the coveted Overall Best Company award.
The winning streak continued at the Central and North London Company of the Year Awards. Competing against an exceptionally strong field, the Channing teams won four of the six awards available. Interlinked secured Best Marketing, while Seeds&Greetings achieved an extraordinary hat-trick of Best Sustainability, Best Team Journey and Best Company.
By April, Seeds&Greetings had once again been crowned Best Company, progressing to the penultimate stage of the national competition.
Then came the London and Essex Regional Finals at Amazon HQ in May. Facing the best teams from across London and Essex, Seeds&Greetings impressed the judges with their creativity, sustainability and professionalism. The result? Yet another Best Company title and qualification for the UK Finals in Cardiff.
We were truly awed by the calibre of the entries in the National Finals, as well as the professionalism demonstrated by the student companies. Although we did not win the National Finals, we were gracious in defeat. There were one or two light-hearted cries of “We were robbed!”, but they simply reflected how proud everyone was of what had been achieved. From their first brainstorming sessions to representing London and Essex on the national stage, our Young Enterprise students demonstrated resilience, creativity, teamwork and outstanding business acumen. We could not be prouder of everything they achieved.
Congratulations to everyone involved: the teachers who supported and supervised the teams, and especially Seeds&Greetings and Interlinked, for an unforgettable year of entrepreneurial success.