Architect inspires 200 east Manchester students to reach for the top

Ian Simpson, leading Manchester architect, this week inspired 200 east Manchester

He joined three other speakers including Gary McClarnan, director of a management and events company with a roster that includes successful Manchester acts including Mr Scruff, The Jackpot and Fingathing, Benji Reid who is a director of an international dance company and Jayne Lawton, a trained horticulturalist with the Royal Horticultural Society and British Female Inventor of the Year 2006.

The students aged 13-14 years spent the morning learning about how to become an entrepreneur. They listened to each of the entrepreneurs' personal stories of the ups and downs of setting up a business.

Eddie Smith, Deputy Chief Executive of New East Manchester said: "We want to challenge the notion that business and enterprise is only born from a privileged background. All four speakers have made a success of their career purely through hard work and vision. We hope this event will inspire some of these young people to consider setting up their own business when they leave school."

Commenting at the event, architect Ian Simpson said: "I come from a working class background and had no special privileges. You really don't need to have a privileged upbringing to be successful. Anything is possible if you believe in yourself and have ambition, determination and drive. Today I hope to share some of my experiences and inspire these young people to reach for the top. Even if just two or three of them walk away today enthused, then it has been worthwhile."

For more information on New East Manchester visit http://www.neweastmanchester.com/

• Roz Hughes, tel 0161 223 1155