Bee hotel creates a buzz at student enterprise competition

A team of five student entrepreneurs from Coláiste An Spioraid Naoimh were named Cork City Student Enterprise of the Year 2020 recently due to their en vogue product – a bee hotel.

The Bishopstown transition year students' mini-company Bug & Bee was named overall winners of a hotly contested competition among the city's secondary schools. Inspired by sustainability, the bee hotel is built from both reclaimed and new timbers with a flower-bed roof, and is designed to attract and house bees.

The Coláiste An Spioraid Naoimh students beat companies from Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal and Presentation Brothers College among others and were awarded a cup and a winner's prize of €500, while their school was also presented with a cup and €1,500.

Bug & Bee will now proceed to the National Student Enterprise Awards Final taking place at Croke Park on 1 May.

Judge Claire Lyons of Cork-based Otterbox, said: “Otterbox have been very involved with the Student Enterprise Programme for many years and I’m delighted to be here again this year. It’s amazing seeing the journey each company has made with their projects from September until now.

One thing that stood out this year is that the standard of sales are absolutely through the roof compared to previous years. I’ve also noticed a move towards sustainability as a project theme.”

Initiated by the Local Enterprise Office, Cork City, the Schools Enterprise programme began in September and was open to students from all city second level schools. Over one hundred students participated in the City Final from nine schools across Cork: Coláiste An Spioraid Naoimh, St Angela's College, Bishopstown Community School, Scoil Mhuire, St Aloysius Girls School, Christ King Girls' Secondary School, Cork Educate Together School, Glanmire Community College, Presentation Brothers College, Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal, St Patrick's College and Ursuline Secondary School.