Inspiring Stories - enterprising young brits

Giles Peters, 17, was inspired to set up Diabetic Hampers after trying to put together a hamper for his diabetic uncle. He found that there was very little choice for diabetics and decided there was a gap in the market.

At 16 Matthew Lovett founded the of Wow Group, an umbrella brand for several affiliate marketing websites.

Alice Whiteley had the idea for Loop in May 2006 when she discovered how expensive it was to buy essential kit for her new born baby, and how much went to waste as her child grew up.

Whilst studying Product Design James Dunlop, 23, came up with the idea for MyHab, an eco friendly two-person habitat made from recycled cardboard and plastic.

Launched in 2006, Tribe Wanted is a concept created to develop a sustainable eco-community and interactive online community on the 200 acre island of Vorovoro in Fiji.

Fed up with missing deliveries? Tired of waiting in all day for a parcel? Eddie Riby has invented the answer: Parcel Safe.

Tony Higson designed the Highson after becoming increasingly annoyed at how creased his clothes were getting while cycling to work.

Cherie spotted a gap in the market for an arts magazine that covers literature, visual arts, music, film and theatre in every issue. Aesthetica was set up while Cherie was studying, using her credit card to fund the first issue.

“There is only one place you will find success before work and that is in the dictionary,” says Nat Peat, founder of the Safety Box..

Robert Wilson set up READ International to recycle books and other educational resources by redistributing them in Tanzania.

Enterprising Young Brits is a competition designed to discover and recognise some of the most enterprising talent in the UK which is heavily promoted in the media and has a high-profile national judging panel.

Jay Cousins designed the Orikaso range of lightweight, folding cups and plates whilst at university and has since turned the idea into a business that retails in 30 countries worldwide.

James Tuthill’s graduation concept of the eglu led to him and three friends from the Royal College of Art in London, Johannes Paul, Simon Nicholls and William Windham, all in their mid-twenties, to form Omlet in 2004.

Sixteen-year-old Sam Stern is currently studying for his A-levels and has already launched two acclaimed cookbooks aimed at teenagers.

Tanya had never thought of herself as an engineer, but an assignment on her A-Level course in product design led to the HypoHoist and opened up an exciting career path for her.

Philip Robinson is the inventor of the ZorinPump which integrates a bicycle seat and a powerful floor pump which combines track performance with hand pump mobility.

Rebecca founded UR-In The Paper in 2005 when she was a student of English and History of Art. She won the People’s Choice Award at the Enterprising Young Brits Competition in November 2006.

Rob and Jason launched Dolphin Enterprises whilst still at university and went on to huge success. They are one of the leading providers of musical equipment on the internet and have also opened a flagship Guitar Shop in Liverpool city centre.

Annika Bosanquet set up funky packaging company Wrapology with her younger brother Tom and went on to win an Enterprising Young Brit Award in 2004. Here she explains what inspired her to become her own boss.

Edinburgh schoolboy Fraser Doherty went into the jam-making trade at the age of 14, after his homemade preserves sold well locally. With its range of no-addedd-sugar preserves, SuperJam is now a thriving business. Fraser tells us how he did it.