Young lawyers at Harrison Clark Rickerbys have been testing their own business skills by challenging themselves to raise as much money as possible from an initial stake of £10, supporting the challenge which drew in 20,000 students aged 11-19 last year, Young Enterprise’s Tenner Challenge.

Six teams of trainee solicitors and paralegals across the firm’s Worcester, Hereford, Wye Valley and Cheltenham offices put their skills to good use, raising a total of £890 during February to donate back to the charity to enable more young people to take part. They followed it up by helping students at Herefordshire and Ludlow College to raise money in their own challenge through March.

Each team had to seek a £10 investment from one of the firm’s partners, returning the investment to them at the end of the challenge. The teams made the most of February by using Valentine’s Day, Shrove Tuesday and even the Six Nations to boost their sales. Some combined business ideas to maximise their profits, but others focused on one theme and ideas ranged from handmade Valentine’s Day flowers to pancakes, and from samosas to penalty shoot outs.

Jo Hodgetts, senior associate in the commercial litigation team in Hereford, who is a Young Enterprise board member and supported the teams, said: “They were both creative and entrepreneurial, in the true spirit of the challenge. With only a month to make a profit, they needed to move fast and make an impact, and they certainly did that in style. They set a great example to the students and I hope that our support of Young Enterprise, which includes our staff mentoring students, will continue to thrive.”

The team’s efforts in February were followed by a month of similar activity by the students, following a visit to the college by Ellis Walby, a team member from the Hereford office. She contributed to a masterclass, checking the students’ business plans and advising them on the best way forward with their ideas, which included selling kindling wood, tie-dyed socks and jewellery.

The challenge, backed by BGF (Business Growth Fund), is now in its fourth year – the students are given their initial £10, whereas the adults provide their own first stake, and the students then give their stake money back with an extra £1 donation so that more of their peers can take part in future years. Participants can keep their profits, but most donate them to charities of their choice.

Harrison Clark Rickerbys has 400 staff and partners based at offices in Cheltenham, the Wye Valley, Hereford, Worcester, Birmingham and the Thames Valley, who provide a complete spectrum of legal services to both business and private clients, regionally and nationwide. The firm also has a number of highly successful teams specialising in individual market sectors, including health and social care, education, agricultural and rural affairs, defence, security and the forces, and construction.