PUPILS from Cumnock Academy have received a funding boost for their business after taking home third prize in the Sir Tom Hunter Enterprise Challenge.

The Body and Mind team of Christie Murdoch, Ben Menzies, Christopher Hunter, Evan Smith, Laura Shedden and Jodie Farrow won £2,000 to take their company forward at the final at Ayr Racecourse.

They created a health tracker which could detect high levels of anxiety and focused on the mental health of the wearer.

Their pitch was extremely informative and the judges were really impressed by their research into the excessive use of social media by many young people and the associated rise of mental health problems.

Sir Tom Hunter, one of the judges for the final, said: “Ayrshire’s young people have again stepped up to the mark creating business ideas that any entrepreneur would be proud of and I congratulate them all.

“We need to redouble our efforts to engage all young people in the world of work and educate them for a world that is changing at an unparalleled pace – teachers can’t bear all the burden of this, business must play its role and I’d recommend all Ayrshire businesses sign up to Founders4Schools to do just that.”

East Ayrshire Council leader Douglas Reid added: “I am incredibly proud of our young people from Loudoun Academy who showed great maturity and confidence to win the grand final of the Sir Tom Hunter Challenge and to Cumnock Academy who took third place.

“Our teams pitched viable business ideas in a passionate way. They engaged the judges and the audience with their excellent presentations which were well researched and developed.

“Engagement with business is a key priority for our council and is now securely embedded in the school curriculum. Our vision is to ensure that every pupil will develop the skills and abilities for a successful career.

“Above all, we want to foster in our young people that vital ‘can-do’ attitude and positive mindset. Events like this clearly show what a talented pool of young entrepreneurs we have in East Ayrshire.”

Loudoun Academy were crowned the winners and took home £5,000 for their company 3D Me whilst St Matthew’s Academy from Saltcoats came second with UNiQUE.

As part of his commitment to mentor local pupils, entrepreneur Sir Tom Hunter has, over the last five years, challenged youngsters to come up with ideas for products, innovations or businesses of the future.

A semi-final heat was held in East, North and South Ayrshire where the top three teams of young entrepreneurs were selected to represent their local authority at the all Ayrshire final held at Ayr Racecourse.

Six teams received £1,000 for reaching the finals. Teams representing Ardrossan Academy, Cumnock Academy, Girvan Academy, Loudoun Academy, Marr College and St Matthews Academy presented their business plans in the Dragons’ Den style contest to a panel of judges.

They were Sir Tom Hunter, Willie Mackie (Regional Chair Ayrshire College and board member of Scottish Enterprise and Skills Development Scotland), Marie Macklin (Executive Chair of Macklin Enterprise Partnerships) Heather Dunk (Principal, Ayrshire College) and Frank Gormanley (enabler, Entrepreneurial Spark).