Wrinklies fight shy of fun

THEY MEAN BUSINESS: Some of the students who have been running Enteract

SIXTH form pupils at Dover Boys' Grammar School have been building up their business skills by taking part in the Young Enterprise scheme.

They set up a company called Enteract, with the aim of arranging entertainment for various age groups. They sold shares in the company to generate cash to get started.

They have held two discos for younger pupils at the two grammar schools, but plans for a grand ball for adults were abandoned when market research showed there would be no demand.

Managing director Tom Parkin said: "Young people often say there is nothing to do. So we decided to do something about it.

"We organised the discos for pupils in years seven and eight from both the boys' and girls' grammar schools, and they proved very popular.

"We worked out a business plan, found out how much everything would cost, set a realistic ticket price and ensured we had enough people - students, as well as teachers - to supervise the events.

"We also collected prizes for competitions.

"We had no problems at the discos. The youngsters enjoyed themselves and behaved very well. It was encouraging to see them having a good time."

Having provided something for the younger generation, the students set their sights on a more ambitious project, a four-course dinner dance at Dover Town Hall.

"Having obtained the costings, we found few people wanted to support such an event," said Tom. "So we decided not to go ahead with it. It was a pity, because we wanted to show that young people were interested in doing something for the older generation."

Enteract has made sufficient money to cover its costs, pay a bonus to shareholders and contribute to the boys' school's Lenten charity appeal.

Others involved in the project were Jonathan Pascoe, James Langley, Seb Harling, Ritchie Hulks, Tom Robinson, Chris Tutthill, Mark Amos, David Parish, Geoff Keen and Kemal Ozkoruyucu.

Many of them are also taking a Young Enterprise exam.