Hot Iron
scoops £50k prize
As you may already know
here at MWB we have
been keen supporters of
entrepreneurship in Sussex
and particularly in helping
the younger generation
become the next Branson.
In recent years we have been a sponsor
of Young Start-up Talent, an initiative that
started in Gatwick back in 2010 that has
grown to other locations. The initiative
takes the form of a competition that helps
16-25 year olds bring there business
dreams to life.
Henry Rogers of Sackville School, aged
just 16, recently wowed the judges and
audience of 250 at Lingfield Park Marriott
Hotel with his blacksmith business ‘Hot
Iron’ in the recent Gatwick Diamond Young
Start Up Talent competition.
Henry walked away with a prize fund of
£50k worth of products and services, all
donated by around 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
104
on his blacksmithing; we are always
amazed by what he comes up with. He’s
self-driven, hardworking and creates
everything himself.”
Guy Stephenson, Chief Commercial
Officer of Gatwick Airport and key note
speaker at the awards 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.
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 been through a
gruelling process to reach the final
with each presenting to a panel of
eight judges which included Mayo
Wynne Baxter Chairman, Dean Orgil.
This ‘Dragons’ Den’ style grilling had
added pressure for the entrants as it
was also filmed.
The initiative was set up initially just 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.
Sam French was the competition’s
winner in 2013 and he 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
to further build on their network of
business contacts.”
it was left to the organisers 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.
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.
By Jason Edge
The ‘Dragons’ Den’ film 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
For more information about this great
initiative visit youngstartuptalent.co.uk.
105