09 March 2011
The annual Dermot Curran Young Achiever Awards are celebrated at SERC Downpatrick Campus.
On Wednesday 9 March the annual Dermot Curran Young Achievers Awards were held at South Eastern Regional College (SERC) Downpatrick Campus. The top award went to Ardglass local Kieran Cross, who studies Creative Media Production at SERC.
Kieran came up with the idea of ‘Personal Paparazzi,a photography service for informal personal events to capture candid social photographs. With the increase of social networking sites and users posting photographs Kieran has identified an opportunity to capture high quality memories for customers concerned about how they look online!
The Dermot Curran Young Achiever Awards are designed to recognise outstanding individuals who have demonstrated the entrepreneurial spirit and determination needed to achieve success in the world of business and specifically to recognise the contribution made by young people. The Awards also address the need to acknowledge and encourage young people who have contributed to the economic development of the district.
The Awards were inaugurated in 2004 in recognition of Councilor Dermot Curran’s 30 plus years continuous commitment to public service. During this time Dermot has unfailingly sought to promote the economic development of Down District, and to support the involvement of young people in business and enterprise.
Other SERC student winners were:
Most Innovative Business Idea – Sorchá Petticrew who proposed a Mournes Ski-slope and resort.
Most Marketable Product / Service – Cathal Quinn. Cathal's idea was for a Triathlon outlet, a one stop shop selling all equipment required to compete in triathlon events. This is a growing sport and can be difficult to get in to as individuals have to purchase equipment from a number of sources. This business caters for all triathlon needs.
Best Business Plan / Idea – Matthew McCabe / Callum Scott, Creative Media Production, FaceTooFace Productions. Matthew and Callum are in the process of starting a video production and web design service offering corporate videos. This will allow businesses to give customers a unique insight into their business and the service they provide on their website and increase their marketing potential.
During the awards ceremony students took part in a question and answer session with a panel of local business enterprise experts including Karen Thompson of Karen Thompson Consulting, John Walsh of Blue-fin Software Solutions, Dale Orr of Churchtown Farm, Bob Parks of Down Community Transport and Jonny and Emma Lynn of Boat Covers Ireland.