Six north-east schools have displayed their generosity and business acumen during a popular fundraising initiative, the Jasmine Charity Challenge.
Pupils from Northfield Academy, The Gordon Schools Huntly, Kemnay Academy, Banff Academy, St Machar Academy and Torry Academy took part in this year’s challenge, raising a combined total of £22,000 for their chosen charities.
The Jasmine Charity Challenge is a private sector funded initiative that gives secondary school students in north-east Scotland the opportunity to engage in enterprising activities. The challenge involves student teams choosing a charity and identifying creative and enterprising ways to raise a minimum of £1000. The Jasmine Group also gives a £250 donation to each school.
The youngsters attended the finale event of the Jasmine Group initiative at Cineworld in Union Square. An individual from each school presented the results of their year-long fundraising campaign, while each participant was given a pupil of excellence award to mark their contribution throughout the past 12 months.
Danny Cowie, group managing director of the Jasmine Holdings Group, said: “The pupils have shown fantastic dedication to the Jasmine Charity Challenge over the past 12 months and their enthusiasm has been great to see.
“We are sure that their nominated charities will be absolutely delighted with their efforts. They have all contributed great ideas to raise money and been real team players. This has also been a chance to introduce them to enterprise, and help them see what they can achieve with determination and hard work. The pupils have all learnt a lot about the valuable links that exist between the classroom and the workplace, which has been great to see.”
Jasmine Holdings Group was founded in the mid-1990s by businessmen George Cowie and Neil Stewart. Since then the group has grown significantly and comprises a number of strong local brands including James Aiken Engineering Solutions, Printagraph, Jasmine Property Investments, Granite Energy Resources, Revolve Systems, Integrated Office Services (IOS) and Citrus:Mix.