March 2014, Lingfield, Sussex:
Henry Rogers wins £50k prize fund for Young Start-up Talent Gatwick Region 2014
by Lorraine Nugent, of Sussex & Surrey Marketing Agency Media Word Waves
Henry Rogers of Sackville School, aged just 16, wowed the judges and audience of 250 at Lingfield Park Marriott Hotel with his blacksmith business ‘Hot Iron’.
Henry walked away with a prize fund of £50k worth of products and services, all donated by some 36 local and national business sponsors to set him off on his business journey.
Henry’s mum, Helen Rogers commented “I’m immensely proud. Henry comes home every day and disappears to work on his skills, we are always amazed by what he comes up with. He's self-driven, hardworking and creates everything himself.”
Winner Henry Rogers with proud parents, and pictured with Trophy.
Guy Stephenson, Chief Commercial Officer of Gatwick Airport and key note speaker at the event said “Henry clearly has a massive passion and in business you have to be passionate. He now needs to surround himself with great people that will help him.”
Henry faced stiff competition from the other finalists who were: Alex Redfearn - Permit Skateboards, Ashlie Regan – Miscella Fragrances, Freddie Seagrave and Lewis Harvey – Lord Clothing and Peter Ross and Nathaniel Hill of Cite.ac.
Fellow finalists Ashlie Regan of Miscella Fragrances, and Freddie Seagrave and Lewis Harvey of Lord Clothing.
and Peter Ross and Nathaniel Hill of Cite.ac., and Alex Redfearn of Permit Skateboards.
The pre show networking.
HR Business Partner for British Airways Jane McGill and one of the judging panel said “Another exciting innovative range of business ideas. Each bought something to the table. Henry is a worthy winner and I have already ordered 6 bracelets!”
From the beginning of the competition back in 2013 each finalist has shown an extensive knowledge of their own concepts, making progress through each stage of the competition to further develop their mind set and working alongside the sponsors of the project.
All the finalists had to present to a panel of 8 judges which consisted of: Dean Orgil – Mayo Wynne Baxter Solicitors, Matthew Tyson - Richard Place Dobson Accountants, Daryl Gaylor – RBS Bank, Peter Hitchcock – Thales, Jane McGill – British Airways, Gary Shipton – Sussex Newspapers, Lorraine Nugent – Media Word Waves and Matt Turner – Creative Pod.
The initiative was set up 4 years ago in the Gatwick area and has helped to inspire hundreds of 16-25 year olds since its founders Lorraine Nugent and Matt Turner set up this fantastic opportunity back in 2010. “Our past winners and finalists have walked away with a host of the contacts that even senior business persons would love to have themselves, giving them the best possible chance of making successful ventures.”
Guest speakers included previous winner Sam French of Sam’s Kitchen or otherwise known as the ‘gingerbread man’, Jane McGill – HR Business Partner, British Airways and Guy Stephenson – Chief Commercial Officer – Gatwick Airport.
Guy Stephenson of Gatwick Airport, and Jane McGill were guest speakers at the event.
Sam French of Sam’s Kitchen and winner in 2013 commented “I would like to wish Henry all the best. I love that he has a traditional skill that has been slightly lost in modern society. To the other finalists, they should ensure they keep in touch and attend all the Young Start-up Talent events.”
Last Years winner Sam French at his stand, and Andrew Perkins of Lingfield Racecoures, both guest speakers at the event.
The Dragons Den video filmed at Thales in Manor Royal was played to the audience who watched in anticipation during the event, trying to uncover who had the best chance of winning but with such strong competition it was left to Matt and Lorraine to announce the winner for 2014.
With a fabulous group of individuals making it through to the final in the Gatwick Diamond area at the start of the year the team are very excited to see the next young entrepreneurs in the other regions it operates, Brighton is next and promises to be the next exciting instalment for Young Start-up Talent.
The finalists as the winner was announced.
It was further announced that the team from the initiative have landed a TV deal which will be a ‘fly on the wall’ type documentary with 8 episodes which will start from July of this year.
All the staging and lighting for the event was supplied by Avensys Hire and Events company, based locally in Crawley which helped to create the ambience for the event.
Each of the finalists and judges received a free night stay at the new high tech BLOC Hotel situated in the South Terminal of Gatwick Airport and due to open at the end of March.
The process will start up again in the Gatwick Diamond in July of this year – for more information visit http://www.youngstartuptalent.co.uk
The judges and finalists.
The Judges
The judges for Young Start-up Talent Gatwick 2014 :
British Airways the UK’s largest international scheduled airline. We fly our customers at convenient times to the best located airports across the world.
Creative Pod, A Sussex based award winning design agency. Creative Pod works with clients ranging from entrepreneurs and one man bands to SME’s and global blue chips.
Mayo Wynne Baxter As a leading firm of Sussex solicitors, Mayo Wynne Baxter provides a comprehensive and personal service to a broad spectrum of local, national and international clients. Specialising in all aspects of the business law and personal legal services as well as offering tailored legal advice to core industry sectors throughout the UK.
Media Word Waves, As a leading PR agency we offer the full range of PR Services including creative copy for press releases, advertising campaigns, brochures, newsletters and websites which we deploy through our extensive network of Local and national media contacts.
RBS Bank is one of the leading UK banks with its support for the local business community and young entrepreneurial talent. For every great business to today there was once a ‘young start up talent’ and RBS are very proud to be supporting this event.
Richard Place Dobson As accountants, we focus on building relationships with our clients, helping them to achieve all of their personal and business goals.
Thales UK a leading international electronics and systems group, addressing Aerospace and Space, Defence and Security markets worldwide.
West Sussex County Times the leading quality broadsheet local newspaper in the Gatwick Diamond, with three editions covering Horsham, Crawley and the South Downs, Community is at the heart of its offering.
The Supporters and Sponsors
The sponsors and supporters for Young Start-up Talent Gatwick 2014 :
Avensys an Audio Visual Company with offices in Crawley, Copthorne and Horley. Avensys has divisions supplying Professional AV sales & Installation, Hire, Event & Exhibition Services as well as a retail store supplying consumer Audio Visual products.
Basepoint Business Centre a modern business centre at the heart of the Gatwick Diamond providing high quality offices and workshops for small to medium business to let on easy-out-terms.
Central Sussex College is committed to supporting aspiration and achievement amongst young people in the area, and equipping them with the skills they need to be successful in the future work force.
Chichester College are proud to sponsor Young Start up Talent. We offer a hugely diverse and successful apprenticeship programme, including Business Management and Innovation at level 5, Peter Jones Academy and Passport to Enterprise, ensuring we provide a talent pool for tomorrow, to help businesses in the South East.
Crawley Borough Council Crawley Borough Council is committed to providing quality service and supporting the growth of a prosperous and confident community.
Crawley Chamber of Commerce an organisation that focuses on the promotion of business within Crawley & Gatwick area.
Crawley Observer a thriving upbeat campaigning tabloid newspaper that puts the local community at the very heart of the town’s news agenda. A busy red-top that fights to represent the people of Crawley.
Crawley Town FC are proud to be at the heart of the local community. We have excellent venue facilities as well as a very exciting football team.
Department of Business Innovation and Skills BIS is working together for growth and investigating in skills to make markets more dynamic with lower regulation, and by promoting trade to boost innovation and help support people looking to start and grow a business.
Extech an award winning Managed IT solutions, support, product and advice specialist passionate about providing comprehensive IT services and solutions to entrepreneurial start ups, small and medium sized businesses.
FastSigns your leading local sign company supplying all your sign requirements. We have been part of Crawley life for over 15 years working closely with the whole community.
Federation of Small Businesses the UK’s largest campaigning pressure group promoting and protecting the interest of the self-employed and owners of small firms. Formed in 1974, it now has 200,000 members across 33 regions and 194 branches.
Future Proof Consulting Solutions A not-for-profit company helping businesses and organisations get the most from a strong approach to sustainability & CSR. We build lasting partnerships between businesses and their communities for the good of both.
Gatwick Airport is the busiest single-runway airport in the world and is currently undergoing a £1bn transformation. It serves more than 200 destinations in 90 countries for around 33 million passengers a year.
Gatwick Diamond The Gatwick Diamond Initiative is a successful collaborative business led public/private sector partnership, which facilitates, coordinates and leads the actions necessary to create the right environment for business growth in the area.
Gatwick Diamond Business Association is the leading voice for business and commerce in Sussex and Surrey. We provide a united voice for business to influence local and central government issues.
GatwickDiamondJobs.com We are a job board created for the Gatwick Diamond! By working with the best employers and training providers, we not only advertise the region’s best jobs but we also work pro-actively to create local jobs for local people.
Heart FM The leading radio station throughout Sussex and Surrey. Heart FM is proud to support its local community.
Henry Smith MP Member of Parliament for Crawley
Horsham District Council promotes pro-business policies to enable its living-working communities of all ages to benefit from economic success and full employment. Horsham District Council is delighted to sponsor Young Start Up Talent.
Lets do Business the leading provider of business advice for budding entrepreneurs in the South East. The Group is the Delivery Partner for the Government’s Start Up Loan Scheme for Young People, providing advice, mentoring and access to finance for 18-30 year olds.
Lingfield Park Marriott Hotel & Country Club is located in 450 acres of picturesque Surrey parkland. As well as the racecourse, we boast a 4* Lingfield Park Marriott Hotel and Country Club and an 18-hole championship golf course.
Marks and Spencer Our heritage of innovation helps us lead the way with first-to-market products across food, fashion and homeware. We are the UK's leading clothing retailer and offer high-quality food, with a focus on freshness, convenience and speciality.
McDonalds are a locally owned & operated Franchise of 7 McDonald’s Restaurants within the Crawley & Horsham area. We employ 400 wonderful local people who are fully committed to their customers & communities.
MCR Print provide quotes for short-run digital printing or longer run litho printing using the most up-to-date environmentally friendly printing methods and materials.
Mid Sussex Times known as The Middy, serves the people of Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill and surrounding parishes, with a strong community focus, holding its politicians, police, and leaders to account.
NVision Coaching a Sussex based Executive Coaching Organisation run by Dorothy Larios who is one of the most influential Executive Coaches in the UK Coaching Profession. Dorothy works with a team of carefully selected Associated Coaches who have rich experience in all business sectors and pioneer new leadership skills.
Reigate and Banstead Borough Council
See That Video Production offers video agency services, digital video production and editing from Brighton to London and beyond. Our core production team includes experienced cameramen and editors that have worked with the BBC and earned distinctions at The New York Film Academy. Although young and creative, we boast over 50 years of high quality production experience.
Sussex Enterprise provide practical business support, HR, training, information and advice to help your business develop, grow and profit. We are the Voice of Business for Sussex.
Start Up Loans A government funded scheme to provide loans and mentors for entrepreneurs.
University of Brighton is committed to supporting enterprise in all its forms. We run our own entrepreneurship network to nurture young talent and support all students, graduates and staff who are interested in developing their enterprise skills and business ideas, and an enterprise awards scheme for seed funding start-up businesses.
Young Enterprise a not for profit organisation; building a connected world of young people, business volunteers and educators, inspiring each other to succeed through enterprise.
Lorraine Nugent of Media Word Waves on stage at the show to announce the winner of Young Start Up Talent Gatwick region 2014 .