The dragon slayers

Water idea fires pupils to the top

CLEVER young entrepreneurs from Crompton House School proved they’re not wet behind the ears when it comes to business.

Their pitch for Eco Water Solutions — an idea to harvest waste water from baths, sinks and showers for garden use — won Oldham’s annual Fast and Furious competition.

The event is inspired by the hit BBC TV show “Dragons’ Den” which sees budding entrepreneurs go before a fiery panel of multi-millionaire businessmen and women in a bid for backing.

Secondary schools in the borough held their own competitions, selecting teams to face a panel of judges from successful local firms. The best five then attended Wednesday’s nerve-jangling final at Oldham Sixth Form College where the winners were announced.

The event was organised by The Enterprise Factory which helps Oldham’s small businesses to start up and grow.

Business development director Ed Stacey said: “It is the third year we have run this event — it is just so inspiring.

“The enthusiasm and the vitality of the ideas coming forward from young people is truly remarkable.

“There is a lot of enthusiasm for entrepreneurship and you can see why.

“There’s so many role models making a happy success of their lives.”