A one-off lecture on the marvels of science and engineering will kick-start a children’s enterprise challenge.

Each year, children aged five to 19 who attend schools and youth groups across the district compete to see who can come up with the best product idea.

They then do battle in a Dragon’s Den-style contest, and those chosen as finalists get to make their products and see who can sell the most on city centre market stalls.

Next year Bradford Council’s annual Step Up Market Challenge will have an added twist. Competitors will be tasked with incorporating elements of science, technology, engineering and maths in their ideas.

The new challenge comes courtesy of Bradford University, which will be awarding a special prize to the team which includes the most hi-tech elements.

Entrants to this year’s competition will be invited to a lecture in the university’s Great Hall on Tuesday, November 19, where members of the university's STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Society will demonstrate how technology can be harnessed to come up with a great product idea.

They will reveal how a biscuit can be made which is soft enough to eat but hard enough to be cut into jigsaw-style pieces to create large edible models.

Project manager Amerjeat Sarai said: “It’s just so exciting every year. I have been involved from day one and I get so excited every time we do it.

“It’s really great to see the transition from when you first meet some of the teams to see them on market day, really giving it their all.

“The journey they have gone on has been absolutely massive, they have developed so many life skills.

“It’s quite emotional when you get to market day.

“I’m always amazed at how well the young people perform on market day and how much they actually learn.

“And it’s thanks to their own motivation and their willingness to succeed.”

Mrs Sarai said each year the teams were hugely competitive.

She said: “It’s not only the children, but the teachers as well.”

 

In this summer’s contest, finalists were not just competing for cash prizes, but also the opportunity to sell their wares in a real shop.
A special Hand-Made in Bradford Award was up for grabs, which saw the winning products going on sale at Fabric’s city-centre shop.
This year’s winners in full:
Most Profit:
Age five to 11: Jars of Wonder (recipes) – Wibsey Primary (£435 profit)
Age 11 to 19: Amazing Craft Creations (origami) – FAB Club £250.55 (origami)
Most Effective Marketing:
Age five to 11: Boo Chic! (emergency bags) – Thorpe Primary
Age 11 to 19: Tokens from Heaven (jewellery) – Buttershaw Business and Enterprise College
Best Newcomer:
Age five to 11: DIY Delights (Food buns) – Fagley Primary
Age 11 to 19: Sprinkle Pops (Cakes on a stick) – Tong High School
Most Innovative Product:
Age five to 11: Eastwood Toymakers (hand made toys) – Eastwood Primary
Age 11 to 19: CBC Art Inventors (clocks) - Carlton Bolling College
Keighley Young Traders Award:
Eastwood Toymakers (hand-made toys) – Eastwood Primary
Hand-Made in Bradford Award:
Amazing Craft Creations (origami) – FAB Club
Glitzy Glamour Girls (jewellery) – Steeton Primary
CBC Art Inventors (clocks) - Carlton Bolling College

Any school or youth group wanting to enter teams into the contest can e-mail Mrs Surai at Amerjeat.Sarai@ bradford.gov.uk for more information.