Poppy’s our phone star App-rentice

Contest winner Poppy Lang (right) with (l-r) Paul Scholes, school head Joy Clarke and assistant head Adelle Greenwood

NORTH Chadderton School pupil Poppy Lang was crowned the borough’s app superstar by soccer legend Paul Scholes.

The 15-year-old won an Oldham “App-rentice” competition to design a mobile phone application.

Her invention, Brain Box, helps students improve their chances of passing exams by allowing them to create their own revision timetable and share revision tips,

She received an iPad signed by the former Manchester United and England star during a ceremony.

And Paul, who lives in Grasscroft, also received his own gift — a referee’s whistle to mark his 37th birthday.

The project was set up by FundedApps, which helps people turn their ideas into “apps” — small computing applications for mobile phones and tablet computers — and Oldham Business Leadership Group (OBLG).

Paul said: “The entries were of such high quality that it was really hard to choose a winner. But Poppy’s entry was outstanding. The idea was well conceived and clearly communicated, as well as identifying a way to make learning fun by using technology.”

Poppy and her classmates will also receive an app masterclass and Jamie Lyons, executive director at FundedApps, said: “This generation of kids will be the first to really experience the full potential of apps, so it was great to see what ideas they had.”

The competition was also supported by Michael Edelson, the Oldham-born director of Manchester United. Both Paul and Michael got involved through links with OBLG.