Member Article

Stagecoach launches Green Dragon's Den competition

Have you got what it takes to be Stagecoach Merseyside, Chester and South Lancashire’s sustainability champion?

Stagecoach is on the hunt for innovators and makers in Cheshire, South Lancashire and Merseyside as part of a regional competition to celebrate its annual Green Week.

The theme for Green Week 2017 is ‘delivering solutions’, so the company has launched its first-ever Green Dragon’s Den competition.

The competition is now open and the Dragons are looking for a product or initiative from each area which will help local communities to be more environmentally friendly.

Contestants shortlisted by Stagecoach will pitch their product or idea in Dragon’s Den style panel events in October and three winners representing Cheshire, Merseyside, and South Lancashire, will be chosen. Each winner will walk away with a grand prize of £1,000 to develop their product further.

The judging panel will include representatives from Stagecoach’s senior management team, science, engineering and sustainability experts from the University of Central Lancashire and the University of Chester, alongside senior editors from the Liverpool Echo, Lancashire Evening Post, and Chester Standard.

The competition is open to schools, universities, organisations, and individuals and will encourage people to get creative when thinking about sustainability. The contest aims to encourage the use of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) to drive forward sustainability.

Rob Jones, managing director of Stagecoach Merseyside, Chester, and South Lancashire, said: “Stagecoach’s Green Week is a nationwide celebration of sustainability and we wanted to do something to encourage communities across Merseyside, Cheshire, and Lancashire to get involved and get innovating to drive forward sustainability where they live.

“The competition is open to anyone living within the three regions. We really want to encourage people across the regions to get their thinking caps on and develop a product to help their local communities to be more sustainable.

“This could be something like a special kind of bin that makes recycling easier, or a new model for a mini solar panel – for example. We’re particularly hoping to see people embracing technology to create products with real impact.

“People have four months to perfect their entry - the countdown is on and we’re incredibly excited to see what they come up with.”

Fancy your chances? Here is what the competition will involve:

• The Green Dragon’s Den competition launches on June 5th, with entries closing on October 5th

• Five finalists from each of the three regions will be chosen to take part in the live Green Dragon’s Den finals in October. They will then have twenty minutes to pitch their idea to a panel comprising of a Stagecoach representative, a sustainability expert, and a media representative.

• One winner from each of the three regions will be awarded a take-away prize of £1,000 to develop their idea further.

• There is no age limit and the competition is open to groups and individuals.

• In order to enter the competition, people should email a photo/image of their product through to along with 500 words about why they should win to cobban@thisisinfluential.com

• For full terms and conditions visit https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/merseyside-and-south-lancashire/green-dragons-den

• Follow the company on Twitter @stagecoachmcsl using the hashtag #stagecoachdragons for more info and live competition updates.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Maria Carr .