A team of enterprising teenagers from Hitchin have won a county-wide award for their portable phone charger business.

The Comet: Teen Gener8 from Lonsdale School, Stevenage: Maria Pycio, 16, James Bell, 17, Wesley Grey, 17 and Connor Ward, 16.Teen Gener8 from Lonsdale School, Stevenage: Maria Pycio, 16, James Bell, 17, Wesley Grey, 17 and Connor Ward, 16. (Image: Archant)

The Priory School quintet behind phone charger firm Unbranded won three awards at the regional final of the Young Enterprise Company Programme last month, and have now added the award for best marketing at the Herts county final.

The Unbranded charger costs £10, holds 150 per cent of a phone’s battery, and works with both Android and Apple devices thanks to an in-built adaptor.

It is just a little larger than a credit card, and on sale in North Herts.

Priory teacher Katie Southall said: “It’s fantastic to get this recognition, and they thoroughly deserve the award they won.

“They’re really excited and I think it definitely certifies in their mind the strength of the brand.

“Now they’re thinking how they’ll brand other things as well. I think this award for marketing shows the judges agree this is the priority.

“They’ve already branded T-shirts with the monochrome theme, and they’re going to look at selling via their website. I think that is the next step for them.

“They’ve had an amazing amount of support but all the success has been through their own hard work.

“There are teachers who don’t have the acumen to do this, let alone 16 and 17-year-old students doing this alongside going through A-levels.

“As a school we’re just thrilled to work with them and see where they’re going to go next.”

To find out more about their project visit unbranded.xyz.

There was also recognition for students from Stevenage’s Lonsdale School, whose Teen Gener8 team was given the prize for best teamwork.

The 16 youngsters from the Brittain Way school – which caters for those with special needs – had already won the award for teamwork and communication and the social, ethical and environmental prize at district level for their work creating products to sell to the school community and the general public.

“The night itself was a little nerve-wracking as we had to stand on stage in front of so many people, but ultimately it was a fulfilling experience,” said post-16 teacher Sinéad Kellett, who is also a link teacher for Young Enterprise.

“We are proud of ourselves for participating in such a prestigious event. We did our presentation to the best of our abilities and it ran smoothly.

“We would like to take the opportunity to thank our business adviser Peter Walsh, the judges, Marilla Elliott from Young Enterprise, and of course our team Teen Gener8.”

For more visit lonsdale.herts.sch.uk/young-enterprise.