Grant help for students with the big ideas

Morgan Dowler and Matthew Pawley, soon to graduate in business management and computing respectively, and Karen Vera, who completed her MSc in construction law and dispute resolution in 2010, have been awarded enterprise scholarships, worth £3,000 each, to help them take their business ideas forward.

The enterprise scholarships, of which Leeds Metropolitan Vice Chancellor Professor Susan Price is the founding donor, provide Leeds Metropolitan graduates with £3,000 of funding each, including support through the university’s business incubator, QU2; dedicated business advisers and mentors; profiling and networking opportunities; membership of the Leeds Chamber of Commerce; and a city centre business address, for 12 months.

Ms Dowler will be using the funding to set up her business, Love Me and My Secret, which will market a new and specialist brand of underwear, specifically designed for breast cancer patients. She said the idea originated when a family friend failed to find products to suit her needs after her breast cancer operation.

She said: “I am more determined than ever to get this product into stores with my mum currently going through the same situation. The lingerie which is presently for sale for breast cancer patients is far from aesthetically pleasing and I want to create products that women will want to wear and that will make them feel good about themselves.”

Meanwhile, Ms Vera’s business Jubilee Law, a specialist law firm based in Leeds, will provide services in the areas of construction and planning law to companies operating in the fields of building, construction, engineering, development and regeneration.

Mr Pawley wants to progress his business EPOS (Electronic Point of Sale) Online. The web application provides an online point of sale, administration, booking software and customer log-in portal for business within the leisure, beauty and retail sectors.