The entrepreneurial efforts of five companies from St Albans and Harpenden schools have been celebrated in the first stage of the national Young Enterprise Company competition.

More than 80 17 to 18-year-olds from schools across the district set up and run a real business over the academic year. Students made all the decisions about their business, from deciding on the company name and product, to creating a business plan, managing their finances and selling their products.

Students from five secondary schools took part in the charity’s St Albans and Harpenden area finals at The Vineyard Church after taking part in the Young Enterprise Company Programme scheme

After being questioned by the judges it was students from St Albans High School for Girls who scooped the coveted top prize of ‘Best Company, St Albans and Harpenden’ for their business Bare Necessities, which created a cookbook full of nutritious recipes to help students wanting to learn to cook either as a hobby or as preparation for university and moving out of home.

Bare Necessities will now go forward onto the next stage of the competition – the county final at the University of Hertfordshire on April 25.

Other awards went to Sir John Lawes and Roundwood Park Schools in Harpenden and other companies from St Albans High School for Girls.

Lou Hymers from PwC, who support Young Enterprise in the local area, said: “We had some great companies started up by students in St Albans and Harpenden this year and the judges were incredibly impressed with the products and services they had developed and the presentations they gave at the awards.”