Operations Director Jo Woolley has been delighted to act as a mentor this year for Weston College’s annual Business Enterprise Challenge where students form a ‘mini business’ as part of their college course to create a product to sell to the general public, and the profit made is donated to Weston Hospicecare. This initiative allows students to gain hands-on experience in entrepreneurship, creativity, and teamwork, as well as helping them gain confidence and build real-life skills, which is where their mentors can make the biggest impact.

Jo was chosen to support Molly Stitch and Lacey Crawford who created a ‘Naughty Or Nice’ elf on a shelf package which included an elf, a tub of sweets and some new ideas for how to use that naughty elf!

We’re delighted to announce that out of 38 groups, Molly and Lacey won, with the most amount of money raised, at £818!

The girls said, “We’re so excited to be the 2025 winners and raising over £800 for Weston Hospicecare. We could not have done it without the support of Jo Woolley.”

Jo added, “Molly and Lacey worked so hard on this project, selling their product in and around Weston, and they continued to keep me updated throughout the whole process – I’m so proud of them! Thank you to their incredible local community who bought the elves and donated to Molly and Lacey’s venture, which contributed almost a fifth of the total raised of approx. £5,000 this year from all the college groups who took part.”

In the past four years, this challenge, in association with the college, has raised more than £22,000 for Weston Hospicecare; a fantastic contribution that directly supports the charity and the families they care for.

Plus: Debbie Fortune Estate Agents have pledged to donate a percentage of their sales commissions to Weston Hospicecare in 2026, with a target of £10,000 for the year – watch this space for updates next year!