Bucks and Milton Keynes Schools Go Head-to-Head at The Big Challenge Lunch

The day was a blend of healthy competition, enthusiasm, and community spirit as four Milton Keynes and four Buckinghamshire Schools competed in eight challenges with the goal of a £1000 prize for the winning school.

The theme throughout the day was ’employability and the future workforce’, which is critical given the importance of young people being confident and work-ready when they leave school.

The event, held at The Ridgeway Centre, witnessed a friendly competition between the two counties and featured an inspiring talk by Somerset cricketer James Hildreth. James shared his experiences and valuable lessons about teamwork, leadership, and resilience.

James said “It’s an honour to be here today. My advice to young people is to stay curious – you can be knocked back but sometimes you need to go backwards to go forwards. As a batter, you fail more than you succeed. Some great advice that stuck with me is, you can only control the controllables. Life is a rollercoaster but use the knockbacks to review and reflect and get to be where you want to be.”

Highlights of the day included not only seeing all the young people having a great time but also watching the awards.

A huge congratulations to Sophie Bannerman from Aylesbury Vale Academy (AVA) who won the Outstanding Achievement Award and £100s.

Sophie joined Action4Youth programmes as a shy young person and she has grown into a confident young adult with the confidence to present in front of her peers.

Sir Thomas Fremantle School from Buckinghamshire gained the highest score and won the Ultimate Challenge Cup and £1000 for their school.

And finally, Buckinghamshire Council won The Ultimate Challenge Cup – council, presented by Nathan Kennard from Unity Place.

Milton Keynes Councillor Peter Marland said “It doesn’t matter that we came second, we can come again next year! Well done to everyone who took part. You are from a fantastic area, and you can be everything you want to be.”

Action4Youth CEO Jenifer Cameron said, "We're thrilled by the success of The Big Challenge Lunch, where our community came together for a day of fun, competition, and inspiration. It truly highlights the power of collaboration and the spirit of our local councils,".

For more information about Action4Youth visit www.action4youth.org