Date posted: 14th February 2012

ACHIEVEMENT: Spectacular Move Makes a Perfect Picture

Kieran Lucas, a SLC BTEC First in Media student, had one of his photographs published in the Leicester Mercury in January.

EXCERPT: This picture of a teenager doing a forward flip off a building is one of our latest entries to our latest photographic competition. We are inviting to readers to send in their pictures on the theme of ‘life’,... with £100 of Jessops vouchers on offer to the best entry.

Kieran Lucas, 16, from Wigston, took the photograph in Knighton Park, Leicester, last summer.

He said: “It shows us free running in the park. I like the colours and also the way the picture works with the grass as the front, which makes the building look really tall.

“It is my friend Miles that is jumping, and my friend Luke is filming him”.

“I really like taking pictures of whatever catches my eye.”

Entrants can submit up to six pictures. The best will appear in the Mercury and may be published on our website. The deadline is midnight on March 4. Entry e-mails should include a caption explaining each shot, including where it was taken, and have Life Photo Competition in the subject box. Photographs should ideally be about 1MB in size. Also include your name, age, address and a contact number. Pictures can be e-mailed to: picturedesk@leicestermercury.co.uk

For full terms and competition, see: www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT: Eddy Crowe

Harborough Mail: Published on Thursday 2 February 2012 06:11

EXCERPT: RUGBY star Martin Castrogiovanni literally gave the shirt off his back to help out one loyal fan.

Harborough man Eddy Crowe messaged Leicester Tigers prop Castro on Facebook to donate some items for a raffle in aid of his church, St Peter and St Paul, Great Bowden.

And he was amazed when the Italian international, who co-owns the Timo restaurant in Harborough town centre, said yes and later emerged from the Tigers dressing room following last month’s Heineken Cup victory against Clermont Auvergne at Welford Road with a muddy match shirt.

“He said it might be a good idea if we got mum to wash it before he signed it,” said Mr Crowe, who has a been a fan and season ticket holder at Tigers for many years and was among a group of fans who started a Facebook group to keep Castro at the club when it looked last season as if he might move away.

Castro signed the match shirt at the Tigers recent development match against Leeds and has also donated two signed Italy training shirts.

Mr Crowe is raffling the shirts, together with two signed Tigers’ squad shirts from 2009 in aid of the parish church of Great Bowden.

Team vicar, the Rev James Shakespeare, said: “We are asking all members of our congregation to undertake their own fundraising initiatives this year. We are delighted that Eddy is leading the way with this raffle and I hope that the everyone will support his enterprise.”

Raffle tickets cost £3 from Mr Crowe or his family by phoning 01858 465034. The prize draw will be made on March 31.

SLC Apprentice Competition Final

For National Apprenticeship week, SLC held their own version of The Apprentice competition. Two teams of SLC Apprentices and one team of Level 3 Business Studies students were given a budget of £15 and one week to develop a business idea for a Valentine-themed product or service. They would then face our Directors in the Boardroom on Friday 10^th to find out their fate!

Each team had produced really strong gift ideas supported by well researched business plans, making it an extremely difficult decision for the judges to choose between them. After much deliberation, the Business Studies team were declared the winners, as in the words of the Vice- Principal, John Shuter, “We could see this selling straight away”. Based on a fortune cookie design, the chocolate heart contained a personalised romantic message for a loved one and would be sold online to reach a larger market.

The winners, Level 3 Business Studies students, Charlotte Neale and Gemma Wrapples, were both rewarded with a prize of £20 and felt ’ It was a stressful yet great experience, an experience that we have both enjoyed!”

The joint runner’s ups were also congratulated on their huge efforts in such a limited amount of time and each received £5. The three judges commented on the quality of projects produced and the market research undertaken, leading Fiona Baker to suggest, “I don’t see why all of you shouldn’t be applying for The Apprentice next year.”

Pictured: Winners Charlotte Neale & Gemma Wrapples, Runners Up: Amy Pollard, Kyonnah Price, Charlotte Lyodall, Katie Neale and Rob Sweeney.