sally huband
13 February, 2025
News

Local teens impress top councillor

Three local companies joined together to run a fabric design competition, open to all local teenagers through their schools. At the presentation evening at The Whately Hall Hotel in Banbury the Overall winner was presented with a whopping £500! and their school also received a further £500 for art materials. 

Ella Day a student at Parker E-Act Academy in Daventry receiving her £500 cheque from Cllr Okeke, Leader of Cherwell District Council at the Presentation event at TheWhately Hall Hotel Banbury

To enter the competition pupils were tasked to create a brand new Fabric design for local Company Pub Stuff to incorporate into their Upholstered furniture range. Pub Stuff supply furniture to the leisure and hospitality sectors throughout the UK and Europe and are based in Cropredy.

The 2nd and 3rd placed teens received £100 and £50 respectively.

Pub Stuff Ltd joined together with local Educational Tutoring Company CORE PLUS TUITION run by Emma Harper and interior design company QUARTER & FORGE DESIGN run by Drew Twyman who specialises in hospitality interiors’, and also judged the entries.

To enter the competition pupils were tasked to create a brand new Fabric design for local Company Pub Stuff to incorporate into their Upholstered furniture range. Pub Stuff supply furniture to the leisure and hospitality sectors throughout the UK and Europe and are based in Cropredy.

Ella Day and a Tutor from Parket E-Act receiving their £00 cheques from Clly Okeke
Ella Day and a Tutor from Parket E-Act receiving their £00 cheques from Clly Okeke Credit: Pub Stuff Ltd

 

The Top 10 finalists were invited to the Whately event together with their families, friends and tutors where Drew Twyman explained “In hospitality design, one of the most important aspects of this is the use of upholstery. They are visually engaging, tactile, and for a brief moment in time, it is your seat in that venue”

 

Emma Harper from Core+ Tuition, Cllr Okeke, Leader of Cherwell District Council. Ruby Bllomfield , 2nd Place, Ella Day , Winner, Charlie Farrell, 3rd Place. Alex Huband, Commercial Director & Luke Wetherill , Sales & Design both from Pub Stuff Ltd. In front of Faamily & Friends at the competition Presentation event at Whately Hall Hotel Banbury
Emma Harper from Core+ Tuition, Cllr Okeke, Leader of Cherwell District Council. Ruby Bllomfield , 2nd Place, Ella Day , Winner, Charlie Farrell, 3rd Place. Alex Huband, Commercial Director & Luke Wetherill , Sales & Design both from Pub Stuff Ltd. In front of Faamily & Friends at the competition Presentation event at Whately Hall Hotel Banbury Credit: Pub Stuff Ltd

Cllr Chukwudi Okeke attended and presented awards, he said “It was great to be invited to present awards to the shortlisted and the winner of the Fabric Design Competition. All the shortlisted designs were beautifully crafted - it was amazing to see the creativity and ingenuity these students possess. Very congratulations to the winner Ella Day! Many thanks to Pub Stuff Ltd, Core+ Tuition & Quarter & Forge, for allowing the imagination and creativity of these children to flourish”.

Emma Harper from Core+ Tuition spoke about the importance of real-life tasks within the educational system. “…this wasn’t just an art project—it was a chance to see learning beyond the classroom and step into the shoes of a real designer.  What an amazing experience to see your ideas brought to life. For some of these students, this might be the beginning of a journey into design, textiles, or creative industries. For others, it’s simply a moment to stand proud and say, ‘I did that. I created something special.’ And that is what education at its best is all about—opportunities that inspire, challenge, and excite”.

Alex Huband, Pub Stuff’s Commercial Director who initiated the Competition and arranged the presentation evening spoke about the importance of bringing young people through into industry – he himself is only 27 years old! Being open to new ideas and collaborating with companies who share the same forward -thinking philosophy.  He said “ …the exceptional creative talent we can see here in these fabric designs shows us all how much we need young people to engage with industry and how, when given the opportunity, they will shine and grow – gaining confidence along the way. We very much hope this competition will become an annual staple within the local school curriculum”. He went on to thank the teachers and schools who had supported the competition.

All schools in the area were sent details of the competition in June 2024 with a closing date of Nov 2024.

The Top 3 winners also received framed pieces of their fabric design which had been printed onto Velvet by the fabric supplier Smd-ILIV Ltd who are leading UK suppliers of upholstery fabrics and were thanked for their help in making this competition “come alive”.

The Top 3 winners also received a funky cylinder seat in their own winning fabric design.

1st Prize: Ella Day from Parker E-Act Academy, Daventry (prize sponsored by Pub Stuff)

2nd Prize: Ruby Bloomfield from Harris Academy, Rugby (prize sponsored by Quarter & Forge)

3rd Prize: Charlie Farrell from Swalcliffe School, Banbury (prize sponsored by Core Plus Tuition