Berkhamsted Young Enterprise Group Element Win County Final

June 18, 2012 - PRLog -- On Wednesday 13th June the group Element from Berkhamsted School were named Hertfordshire’s Company of the Year at the Young Enterprise county final, held at the University of Hertfordshire. Not only did the 10 lower sixth students claim the title of ‘Best Overall Company’, they also won ‘Best Financial Planning’ and ‘Best Presentation’. This victory sees them going through to the regional, east of England final on 25th June at Cambridge University.

Element created a voucher scheme, named ‘Community Coupons’, which encouraged the residents of Berkhamsted to spend money on their high-street and not travel further afield to larger shopping centres. This idea injects money back into the local economy, while also reducing the carbon footprint of the town, as there is less travelling to be done. The judges were impressed by their community ethos, well considered business plan and clear and enthusiastic presentation skills, and this is what helped them to claim their title.

It is clear that Community Coupons has even more potential, as councillors from two other towns in Hertfordshire have now approached Element, requesting similar voucher schemes in their towns, as well as many other people saying they would use the coupons if there was such a scheme where they lived. Element are currently signing up businesses for a second booklet within Berkhamsted, following the success of the first, and this will be distributed in September.

The Element team consists of: Eleanor Eisenstadt (Managing Director), James Hawkes (Managing Director), Rachel Garwood (Company Secretary), Alisha O’Grady (Finance Director), Ed Hart (Finance Director), Meg Shaw (Head of Design), Bradley Gymer (Head of HR), Becki Levin (HR and Legal), Angus Hardy (Sales and Distribution) and Matt Gold (Sales and Distribution). ‘The whole team are really excited for the next round, and want to do our county proud. It’s a great feeling when all your hard work pays off!’ – Eleanor Eisenstadt

For further information email Element at communitycoupons@hotmail.co.uk, tweet them @ElementYE, or visit their website www.communitycoupons.co.uk