A WISBECH teacher is aiming to go out on a high after helping to lead a group of students into the final of a young enterprise competition.

Richard Baty retires at the end term from Wisbech Grammar School where, for the past 18 years and with the help of John Warren, has run an enterprise initiative.

Now some more of the school’s top business brains at the school have proved that recycling reaps rewards as they compete in the East of England final of the Young Enterprise competition.

Sixth form members of Chameleon of Alice Wong, Alice Meekins, Madeleine Boulton, Melody Cheung and Fiona Massen (all 17) and Kara Thorpe, 16, have won the competition for best company in the county final of the tournament at Robinson College, Cambridge.

They now go through to the next round of the contest at Queens’ College, Cambridge, on June 27.

Mr Baty said: “We are all very proud of their achievements. They have worked very hard and have proved to be astute young business people.”

If the girls go on to win the regional final, they will head to the Savoy Hotel in London in July for the national finals.

The girls, who set out to make people buy into a whole new approach to waste, have manufactured coasters from recycled beer bottle tops and transformed wine bottles into candles.

They have also rustled up jewellery made from recycled board game pieces and they have hit on the idea of a bath timer to stop people wasting water.

The team, which was competing against five other winners of the area finals, also took the awards for innovation, finance and best presentation, as well as the environmental award.

They were judged at the trade stand by entrepreneurs from companies including Microsoft, Anglian Water and Perkins Engineering.