Last week, three Maesteg School pupils Gerianne Svensen (Yr.12), Angharad Stokes (Yr.12) and Megan Curling (Yr.10) visited CGI British HQ at Kings Place in London in an attempt to bid for £9000 to fund a Girls Network Conference that will be held later this year.
Helen Phillips, Chair of Team Wales, had nothing but praise for our pupils upon securing the £9000 at CGI in London. Sharing her congratulations via the AYPD, Helen wrote:
‘Not fazed by the seniority of expertise in front of them from one of the world’s largest IT companies, the girls delivered a passionate, well prepared and incredible well-constructed pitch for headline event sponsorship on 12th July. The pitch was delivered in a way that not only presented the Bridgend’s Girl Network proudly but they characterised themselves faultlessly, they represented their families and their school impeccably and they represented Team Wales as the facilitator of the sponsorship in a way I can only describe as a gold medal performance.’
We caught up with the girls upon their return, to get the low-down on their exciting trip to London.
Hiya girls, huge congratulations on being awarded the £9000 for your conference in the summer! That is some coup, tell us how this opportunity arose?
MC: Helen Phillips, Chair of Team Wales approached the Girls Network with the possibility of funding from CGI for our annual conference. We were asked to represent the Girls Network in London, to try and win the bid.
How did you feel when you were invited to go?
AS: We felt proud to represent our school and be chosen over other sports ambassadors in the area. It was a privilege to be asked and we couldn’t wait to get on the train.
Tell us about your trip to London? What did you Make of it all?
GS: It was so busy, my bag broke in Paddington and my food went everywhere! It was quite an experience. We got to go on the London Eye and we saw Big Ben, which was great. We also saw Platform 9 ¾ at Kings Cross Station, which was cool because we all love Harry Potter.
How did you feel when you arrived at Kings Place? Tell us about the bidding process.
AS: It was a really high-class building, with business entrepreneurs everywhere, we felt a bit over-whelmed but once we were setting up our presentation, we felt focused on the task at hand. The ‘Innovation room’ was more relaxed than the rest of the building, they had Lego on the table if you were feeling creative! We met several people from CGI before our presentation and they were really looking forward to hearing us speak.
GS: For the presentation, we told them about ourselves and our roles as ambassadors. We explained the positive impact the Girls Network had made in our lives and how important it was for the good work to continue. We presented two videos that showcased what we do as young leaders and what sporting activities we are involved in. We got asked a range of questions from a panel of CGI representatives, after which they told us that our bid had been successful!
That sounds very intense, you did so well under the pressure! How did you feel, when they broke the good news to you?
MC: We were so happy! There was a sense of relief that we had delivered a really good presentation.
GS: We thanked them all for the funding and sat down for a lovely lunch together. After Lunch we were taken on a short tour of the building and had some amazing views from the terrace.
That sounds a great way to celebrate! So what happens next girls?
AS: We are now planning for the Girls Network conference this summer. We are contacting local businesses to get involved with our event. We are also preparing for our summer exams, which are just around the corner.
Well we wish you all the best for the conference and of course your examinations. Your achievement in London was wonderful girls, da iawn!