STUDENTS from Haygrove School in Bridgwater have won a business award for setting up their own company.

The group won the Best Company Trade Stand award, sponsored by Taunton Chamber of Commerce, at the Young Enterprise county finals for creating a company, ‘Slate’, which made and sold slate signs.

The team consisted of Olivia Laycock, Harry Parsons, Carly Johnson, Thomas Gulliver, Sophie Brown, Ellie Watkins, Chloe Tozer, Jessica Kemmish and Georgie Rose.

The awards night took place at the Holiday Inn, Taunton, as part of the Company Programme scheme, which sees students set up and run their own real company over one year.

The teams of students were judged on three key elements: their company reports; trade stands; and company presentation to judges and invited guests.

Among the judging panel for this year’s finals was Chris Freer, general manager of the Holiday Inn, Elizabeth York, solicitor at Porter Dodson, and Adam Francis, Business Development Manager at Somerset College.

Prizes were awarded for various categories and ‘AppyDays’ (The Park School) scooped the overall winner award with the chance to represent Somerset at the regional finals in June.

Fellow award winners included ‘Woodworks’ (Taunton School) who bagged the award for Best Company Report, while the Best Company Presentation was awarded to ‘Persistence’ (King Alfred School).