Gripple Teamed up to Encourage Young Pupils to Innovate Environmentally!

10th October 2012

The Sheffield-based manufacturer, Gripple, winner of two Queen's Awards for innovation, joined forces with the Rotherham's award winning enterprise team, 'Are You Ready?' to challenge the region's primary school children to come up with an environmental idea which would win £350 for their school! Launched on the national education-business challenge website MyKindaCrowd, 'Innovating for the Environment' is the first primary school focussed initiative to encourage children to devise a product or service which offers an environmental benefit.

To support primary schools in the challenge, Gripple and 'Are You Ready?' hosted free events in the company's headquarters where teams of four children saw its innovative manufacturing works, found out more about the environmental challenge and learnt from experts about the sustainable methods which Gripple uses in creating pioneering new products constantly. Gordon Macrae, Gripple's special projects manager, said: We believe that business plays a key role in inspiring young people about the world of work and business. For children to come to our factory, hear and see what we do and use their creativity and enterprise to devise their own new ideas was a great opportunity. Catherine Brentnall, director of 'Are You Ready?, said: This was a fantastic way for primary schools to kick off their new academic year in a really enterprising way. We love what Gripple stands for it's a global, employee-owned business which puts sustainability at the heart of everything it does. For the company to open its doors to primary children demonstrates its commitment to helping young people develop their enterprise skills and talents. Teams can still submit their ideas in the challenge, which features on the MyKindaCrowd website, the deadline is October 26th and the winning idea will be announced on November 7th. For more information contact Catherine Brentnall on 07825 125438