Tuesday 1st April 2025 – The Dragons’ Apprentice Challenge, an exciting and dynamic annual challenge organised by Community Action Dacorum, has officially completed its 12th year. The challenge, which sees Year 12 students from local schools take on the role of budding entrepreneurs, culminated in an awards ceremony on Tuesday night at Shendish Manor Hotel, where the overall winners were crowned.

This year, the talented young entrepreneurs raised over £30,000, with one team raising a whopping £7,000 and every single team raising over the target of £1,000 which has never been done before.  Team Rodney from Sir John Lawes School emerged as the overall winner of this year’s competition. Their efforts in support of Gaddesden Place RDAearned them a skiing or snowboarding session kindly donated by the Snow Centre.  Their charity was Gaddesden Place RDA and Karen Gosen said “As a charity representative for the Dragons’ Apprentice Challenge for many years, I am consistently amazed by the remarkable achievements of the teams and this year was an incredible year. This experience goes beyond simply raising funds; it’s so rewarding to see how the students develop valuable skills throughout the challenge—skills they will carry with them into the future.”

This year’s challenge involved 15 teams from local secondary schools, each tasked with turning a £100 stake into £1,000 or more, all while supporting a local charity. The participants were guided by mentors from the business community, who provided invaluable support and advice throughout the journey. more than £155,000 in total raised for local charities

The Deputy Mayor of Dacorum, Cllr Catherine McArevey, presented the awards, sharing her admiration for the students’ determination and business acumen. “I’d like to congratulate all the teams that took part in this year’s Dragons’ Apprentice Challenge and particularly the overall winners, Team Rodney from Sir John Lawes School. I was very impressed with all the students’ displays and enjoyed learning about the challenges they faced. Their teamwork, communication, and perseverance shone through,” said Cllr McArevey.

This year’s SuperDragons, a panel of judges from the business, education, and local government sectors, were also impressed by the teams’ ability to develop innovative business ideas and communicate effectively. The judges noted the students’ professionalism in presenting themselves and their commitment to their charitable causes.

Rachel Redondo and Amanda Hersham were the dragons from their business Twenty-Two and said of the challenge “This year’s Dragons’ Apprentice Challenge has played an instrumental part in allowing us to forge new relationships as a local business with our chosen school and incredible charity partner – The Blue Tangerine Federation. Our team of students were forthcoming in taking advantage of every learning opportunity and even went on to raise £7,095.87 which beat the all-time record for the Most Money Earned award, something which we will be forever proud of. We only hope that we are lucky enough to take part in next year’s Dragons’ Apprentice Challenge again!”

Other Winners:

• Most Money Raised: Team Phoenix from Sir John Lawes School, supported by Twenty-Two Business Support, and raising funds for their charity Blue Tangerine Federation (prize donated by XC Centre, Hemel Hempstead)
• Best Business Idea: Team Rodney from Sir John Lawes School, raising funds for their charity Gaddesden Place RDA (prize donated by Cloud 9, Hemel Hempstead)
• Close Cooperation with Charity: Team On The Case from Katherine Warington School, supported by Perdact and raising funds for their charity Comfort Cases (prize donated by Little Hay Golf Complex, Bovingdon)
• Best Display: Team Horizon from John F Kennedy School, supported by Coffee & Wine and raising funds for their charity The Pepper Foundation
• Best Presentation: Team Tring from Tring School, supported by Dacorum Borough Council and raising funds for their charity Herts Young Homeless
• Most Resilient:  KWS Team 3 from Katherine Warington School, supported by Wild Goose and raising funds for their charity Communities 1st
• Best Learning:  Team Rolling Tides from Longdean School, supported by Huldra Recruitment and raising funds for their charity Waterways Experiences

The Dragons’ Apprentice Challenge, which ran from September to April, has provided local students with the opportunity to develop essential skills in business, teamwork, and resilience, all while giving back to the community. Many of the young participants expressed how much they had learned from the challenge and how it deepened their connection to the local charities they supported.

Participating schools this year included Adeyfield School, Hemel Hempstead School, John F Kennedy School, Longdean School, Tring School, Sir John Lawes School, Katherine Warington School, and St Michael’s School.

Current first year student of Politics and International Studies at Warwick University Jack Kenn remembers his challenge with fondness. “The Dragons’ Apprentice Challenge was an incredible opportunity for me as a student at JFK School. Through the programme, I had the chance to fundraise for the local charity Waterways Experiences, ultimately raising £2,400. Beyond making a real difference, the challenge helped me develop essential skills that will benefit me throughout my career. I gained valuable communication and teamwork skills, and as the leader of my group, I had the opportunity to strengthen my leadership abilities. Additionally, my finance officer and I gained important financial literacy skills, learning how to budget and manage funds effectively. Overall, it was a rewarding experience that brought students together to achieve something meaningful, which had real impacts on our community. I can say that the Dragon’s Apprentice Challenge was one of the best experiences I have had at Secondary School.”

The Dragons Apprentice Challenge also means a lot to the schools who take part. Jack Joyce, Director of Sixth Form, John F Kennedy Catholic School said “John F Kennedy Catholic school has been participating in the Dragon’s Apprentice programme for over a decade now and it still remains one of the key highlights of the year. Alongside the wonderful concept of raising money for charity whilst working with a business (Dragon) the programme goes far beyond its main outcome. The opportunities the project provides for each student is quite simply incredible. Attributes such as leadership, planning, financing, budgeting, teamwork, communication, commitment only scratch the surface for what our students learn alongside this project.

Our students thrive on the competitive nature of the programme and work tirelessly to ensure they not only raise as much money for their partnered charity but to also share the key message of the charity. Beyond the programme I have the privilege of reading through students UCAS references , job applications and personal statements. A recurring theme that I have noticed is that any student that has taken part in the Dragons Apprentice programme will always state what they have learnt from the project. Feedback from John F Kennedy alumni students have previously stated the Dragon’s Apprentice has come up in job or university interviews ranging from major corporate businesses to Oxford and Cambridge. The project is invaluable.” 

The event has garnered strong support from local businesses, with mentors, known as the “Dragons,” offering their expertise. The Dragons were from Creative Stripes, Peter Ashman, Coffee & Wine, Cardo Group, Ray Athwal-Browne, Insite, Turtle Mortgages, Perdact, Wild Goose, Huldra Recruitment, Redway HR, Twenty-Two Business Support, Dacorum Borough Council, and Clock. Participating Charities/Community Groups included: Community Action Dacorum, Gaddesden Riding for the Disabled, Waterways Experiences, Herts Young Homeless, Dacorum Mencap, Hospice of St Francis, Pepper Foundation, Dacorum Heritage Trust, DENS, Thin Blue Paw, Comfort Cases, Communities 1^st, The OLLIE Foundation, Blue Tangerine Federation and W3RT

The Dragons’ Apprentice Challenge is an initiative of Connect Dacorum, a partnership that connects local businesses, schools, and charities to foster community engagement and social responsibility.

For more information or to get involved in the 2025/26 Dragons’ Apprentice Challenge, please contact Cindy Withey at cindy@communityactiondacorum.org.uk.