A GROUP of students from Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School has launched a range of wristbands for Shrovetide players and followers.
The wristbands, which have been put on sale ahead of this year’s Ashbourne Royal Shrovetide games on Shrove Tuesday, February 12 and Ash Wednesday, February 13 are designed to show the wearer’s alliegence to either the Up’ards or the Down’ards.
The £1 rubber bands are coloured either blue or red, with blue bands marked with ‘Up’ards’ and red wristbands marked with ‘Down’ards’.
The venture is part of a project under an initiative run each year at the Green Road school called Young Enterprise, where groups of sixth form pupils set up small companies to learn the perils and pitfalls of running a business.
The scheme, which is run by a national education charity and is now in its 50th year, links in with volunteers from the business world who step in to help and guide the students.
This year’s Shrovetide wristband project, which is follows on from a similar venture held a few years ago, is being run by a company set up under the banner ‘Motivo’ and wristbands are set to be one of its most popular products.
Motivo, which is derived from the Spanish word for occasion, has been running since October and its first money-spinner was the sale of wreaths around Christmas time, which gave the 13-strong team that runs the enterprise its first taste of success.
The company has pledged to share some of its profits from the sale of the wristbands with the Ashbourne Royal Shrovetide Football Committee, to help fund future matches.
Motivo’s head of sales and operations, Leo Flockton said: “Shrovetide is a very important event in Ashbourne and it’s been under a lot of economic strain on it.
“So with the proceeds of the sale of these wristbands going to Shrovetide it’s a good way of supporting the game and of showing your alliegance to your side.”
The wristbands have so far been on sale for around three weeks and Leo says sales are already starting to take off.
He hopes more retailers will soon start selling them and a team of sellers will be out and about during the games to offer them to the crowds.
To find out more about the wristbands, which are currently on sale within QEGS or can be bought from the News Telegraph office at 6, Market Place, email motivo2013@gmail.com
