Students turn tenners into thousands for charity
1 December 2016
A team of students who turned a £10 note into more than £1,400 have won the Nottingham Trent University challenge to raise funds for the John van Geest Cancer Research Centre.
The £10 Challenge, organised by the NTU Employability team and the Institute of Directors East Midlands, saw 200 students across the university form teams to come up with inventive and sometimes simple ideas to turn the cash into more money.
Overall, students raised more than £13,000 for the cancer research centre, based at the University’s Clifton Campus.
The team which made the most money – Team Titan – was announced at a celebration event this week. The group of Ba Business Management students attended a Nottingham Means Business Lunch and held a raffle before sending their Just Giving link out to family, which ended up being circulated globally. The simple steps turned the £10 into £1,453.
Liam McKenna, a member of Team Titans, said: “The £10 challenge was a real test of not only entrepreneurial skills but conforming to strict deadlines. The team aspect made it fun and co-operative and I thoroughly enjoyed the task and all that's entailed. I look forward to using the IoD student membership to enhance my business network, as a result I aim to attend many upcoming events.”
Prizes were also awarded for the teams which gained the most media coverage. These included Team Ignite – who held a Great British Bake Off style event which gained publicity in local press and radio and was also shared via Twitter by Selasi Gbormittah – NTU alumnus and Great British Bake Off semi-finalist.
All groups had to produce an exhibition piece which was judged by representatives from the Institute of Directors head office in London and prizes for the best were also presented.
Georgina Phillips from the NTU Employability Team said: “This challenge is a fantastic collaboration between the University, IoD and John Van Geest, which provides students the opportunity to develop key Employability skills and build their networks for future careers. We really value the support of local business professional who took on the role of team mentors as this has helped to develop long lasting relationships and showcase our student talent.”