Young Consumer of the Year

YCOY In this feature regional finals winners national competition Pupils from Scotland, Wales and England have taken part in the Young Consumer of the Year competition in 2015. The heat winners will come face to face during the national finals in June Going for gold Young Consumer of the Year regional finals set the tone for the 2015 nationals in June, says Ivy Hughes H ow many minutes of exercise should ve- to 18-year-olds have a day, according to the NHS? What ingredient in chilli con carne is soaked to remove toxins? What is the term for randomly sending emails to gather personal details? If your answers were 60, kidney beans and phishing, you could have helped one of the Young Consumer of the Year (YCOY) teams competing in the 2015 regional nals. The four contests in Yorkshire and Humber, Wales, London and Scotland were lively events, with clever students outwitting each other and the winners narrowly buzzing themselves to victory. Every year, YCOY gives young people from around the country the chance to win 1,000 for their school, while also learning how to be informed consumers. Ive been following these competitions in person and on Twitter, and am amazed at the scope and difculty of the questions these students answer, said CTSI chief executive Leon Livermore. It is fantastic to see so many young people taking an interest in their rights, particularly now that the Consumer Rights Act has come into effect. The knowledge the students gain from participating in Young Consumer of the Year events stays with them well after the competition, providing them with a foundation for making good purchasing decisions. Congratulations to all the winners. Im looking forward to the June national nal. Nine teams competed in the London nal, which was held in the gorgeous surroundings of London City Hall. After beating the competition in respective semi-nal rounds, Islington Police Cadets, two teams from Lampton School, in Hounslow, and St Pauls Academy pulled ahead to take part in the nal. It was only the second time that St Pauls had entered the competition, but they won to give the Royal Borough of Greenwich its rst victory in the London nal. An exciting Yorkshire & Humber regional nal was held at the impressive Ackworth School, near Pontefract, where four nalists battled right to the end in their attempts to represent the region at the national nals in June. The lead changed hands several times before Abbey Grange Academy, Leeds, beat last years national nal winners, Horbury Academy, Wakeeld, by two points. In Wales, nine schools took part in the regional nal at Cardiff City Stadium. A close competition culminated in a four-team nal between Porthcawl Comprehensive; Chepstow School, Monmouthshire; Ysgol Uwchradd Bodedern, Isle of Anglesey; and St Albans School, Torfaen. Year 12 students Jack Bridger, Felicity Williamson-Sarll, Matthew Dang and Nathaniel King, from Porthcawl Comprehensive, and runners-up Chepstow School will now go on to represent Wales at the UK nal. Chairman of Wales Heads of Trading Standards (WHOTS), Matthew Cridland, was impressed with the performances of the competitors: These students had diverse knowledge of consumer-related topics and were able to answer tricky legal and nancial questions that would have stumped most adults. This year, WHOTS produced a 75-page revision pack, which was made available to each student, and it was obvious from what I saw that the pack has armed these pupils with essential consumer knowledge, which will be invaluable as they leave school and enter the world of work or higher education. Five teams competed at the Scottish nal, with Ayr Academy pulling ahead to represent Scotland at the national event. Rather than hosting the YCOY nal at CTSI conference, the two-day event will this year be held immediately before conference on 24 June at the Department for Business Innovation & Skills and on 25 June at the Houses of Parliament. For more details, contact events@tsi.org.uk Credits Published Ivy Hughes is a senior communications Thursday 7 May, 2015 executive at CTSI. Ive been following these competitions in person and on Twitter, and am amazed at the scope and difficulty of the questions these students answer LEON LIVERMORE To share this page, in the toolbar click on