Schools take part in ‘Business Battleground Challenge’

At the finish line for their Business Battle Ground Ice Cream Challenge are St Joseph's College students Lauren Hutchinson and Leah McCafferty. INCR19-123(S)

The pupils were taking part in “Business Battleground” a unique business challenge developed by Causeway Enterprise Agency (CEA) and funded by the Department for Social Development (DSD) through the Coleraine Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership (CNRP) and sponsored by Morelli’s and Kelly’s, Portrush.

During the challenge students were tasked with designing and marketing a new ice cream desert for Morelli’s.

This fun and stimulating activity provides students with the opportunity to develop entrepreneurial, creative and problem solving skills by understanding how a real life business works.

The winners junior section of the Business Battle Ground Ice Cream Challenge are St John's PS.INCR19-126

In the exciting day-long workshop students learn about working roles and responsibilities as they grapple with production, marketing and time management.

To facilitate the challenge CEA once again took over the entire entertainment complex at Kellys, Portrush providing each school with a dedicated room in which to set up their business.

The Morelli family sponsored the event supplying ice cream, sauces, decorations, inclusions and plates for each school to create a potentially award winning desert. In addition five members of the Morelli family from both Portrush and Portstewart acted as judges for the competition. The event reached its climax when Damian Morelli awarded two schools the challenge winners. St Joseph’s Coleraine won the Post Primary category with St Johns

Primary School Coleraine receiving the award for the Primary School category as well as the coveted prize for best overall product.

Millburn PS pupils Ryan Patton, Caitlin Henry and Eve McCloskey at their Business Battle Ground Ice Cream Challenge.

To recognise the achievement of the pupils the best overall desert from St Johns is now on sale in Morelli’s Portstewart.

Speaking on behalf of Morellis, Damien Morelli commented:“We were really thrilled to once again support Causeway Enterprise Agency with their

Business Battleground Challenge, it’s great to be part of something so innovative, fun and inspiring and it’s fantastic that our local schools are offered these unique opportunities to experience business challenges first hand and that pupil’s get a chance to learn enterprise skills at an early age.”

Jayne Taggart, Chief Executive of Causeway Enterprise Agency added: “This challenge reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting and encouraging enterprise skills in Coleraine. Working with a long established entrepreneurial family from an industry that children can immediately relate to makes the challenge all the more real for the teams, this coupled with the uniqueness of the venue makes the challenge exciting, memorable and highly engaging while teaching the pupils highly valuable enterprise skills to support their ongoing personal development.”