The fifth annual Ballinasloe Entrepreneurial Skills Tournament (BEST) Competition, organised by The Ballinasloe Enterprise Centre and Ballinasloe Credit Union, held its Awards Night in the Carlton Shearwater Hotel on 21 March where the winners were announced.

The aim of BEST is to promote an entrepreneurial spirit in the youth of the Ballinasloe area and the Competition was open to students in Árdscoil Mhuire, Ballinasloe, St Joseph’s College, Garbally Park, Ballinasloe, St Cuans College, Castleblakeney, Holy Rosary College, Mountbellew and Coláiste an Chreagáin, Mountbellew.

The 2013 Joint Winners were Laura Creaven for her football and golf shoe protector, which is designed to slip over the studs on football boots or golf shoes, and Sally Ann Parsons for ‘Okalekrisps’. The Judges’ Special Award on the night went to Shane Kelly, Shane Hughes and Stephen Naughton for their portable cattle crush, in recognition of the fact that they have actually made and are testing a full version of the cattle crush on a working farm.

Other prize winners included Martin Cunningham and Mark Naughton for their Farm App, which would include a stock control feature, Viktorija Maksimchika for her alarmed Baby Car Seat, Eoghan and Niall Donohue for their Plastic Recycling Bin that allows farmers to recycle plastic coverings from silage, and Rachael Green and Shannon Dolan for their Brace Survival Kit.

The Ballinasloe Enterprise Centre is an initiative of Ballinasloe Area Community Development Ltd (Bacd) and is now home to 14 enterprises employing in excess of 180 people. For more information call 090-9646516 or visit www.ballinasloeenterprisecentre.ie.