Photograph taken by Liz Henson Photography
THREE enterprising students from Haslingden High School are finalists in the Rossendale Business Awards.
The awards ceremony at The Riverside, Whitworth, next Wednesday November 12th, will be a prestigious event attended by the Mayors of Rossendale and Whitworth.
In the category Enterprising Young Person, Rebecca Ashworth, Amelia Mansfield and Annie Ryder have been selected as finalists alongside girl group Arizona from Alder Grange Community High School.
Rebecca and Amelia, both 17, have raised money for charity while Annie, 14, has set up her own cake making business.
Rebecca completed a tandem skydive from 14,500ft for the Multiple Sclerosis Society because her uncle has the condition and her grandmother also had MS but passed away in 2003 because of complications linked to the condition.
She raised £600 through the event and said: “It was amazing to do a skydive and I got the biggest adrenalin rush.
“We were freefalling for about 45 seconds through the clouds and then, when the parachute was deployed we floated down for another five minutes. I even got to steer the parachute.”
The money raised by Rebecca will be used by the Burnley and Pendle branch to take people with MS on day trips.
Amelia was helped by friends to raise £1,000 for various good causes through a number of fund-raisers.
She took part in the Onesie Walk for Rossendale Hospice, completed the Cancer Research Race for Life, organised a Macmillan Coffee Morning at her home and took part in the Stand Up to Cancer walk in Salford Quays.
Her inspiration is her grandmother who lost her battle to cancer two years ago. She was able to be looked after in her own home thanks to support from Macmillan Nurses and the Hospice at Home.
“I have had lots of supporters working with me and we have raised this money together,” said Amelia.
Entrepreneur Annie, 14, has turned a favour into a mini-business when she was asked by a relative to bake and ice a cake for a birthday celebration.
To date she has made nearly 40 cakes and her Facebook page ‘Bake Me a Cake, Annie’ has more than 300 likes.
The self-taught baker is considering setting the business up properly when she leaves school.
Annie said: “I like the satisfaction of seeing the reaction on the face of the person for whom I have made the cake. It makes me really happy and I like making people happy.”