ADVENTUROUS Brownies can carry on camping after landing a cash prize in a community competition run by a high tech firm to celebrate its silver anniversary.
Microtech Precision Ltd, which is based on Bersham Enterprise Centre, near Wrexham, was founded in 1989 and is now a world leader specialising in making components used in the manufacture of aluminium drinks cans.
The company engineers components used in the manufacture and printing on millions of beverage cans every year in the UK and overseas which can contain anything from cola to lager to tea.
As part of its 25th anniversary celebrations, the company set up a £1,750 fund and urged local clubs and associations to apply for a share of the prize money.
The winner stands to get £1,000 with prizes of £500 and £250 also up for grabs.
The first lucky group of winners to be chosen are the 2nd Gresford Brownie pack whose girls and leaders were invited along to the Pant-yr-Ochain pub restaurant in Gresford to pick up a cheque for £250 from Microtech bosses.
The big cash injection will help foot the bill for their annual camping expedition next May and also go towards the cost of staging a special activities day for the pack at their headquarters around Easter time next year.
Microtech was launched a quarter of a century ago and owners Vaughan Hughes and Duncan Evans have been with the company from the outset.
Managing director Brent Evans said: “Our 25th anniversary has been a big year for us, so we decided to celebrate our achievements by giving something back to the community.
“One of the ways we have done this is to set up the £1,750 prize fund and invite local groups to submit entries telling us why they believed they should win some of the money.
“The competition was limited to groups based within a 15-mile radius of our headquarters and we were overwhelmed by the high number of entries we received. In fact, it took three of us – Vaughan, Duncan and myself – three or four days to sort through all the 70-odd submissions and come up with a shortlist ready for the judges to make the final decisions.
“Entrants had to write in and tell us in a maximum of 250 words why they thought they should win a share of the money but the reason we were so impressed with the entry from the 2nd Gresford Brownies was that they sent it in on a beautifully-made scroll detailing all the great work the pack does for the girls and the whole of the local community. As soon as we saw this we knew we had something special.
“The judges agreed and that’s why the pack was chosen to receive the £250 prize. They deserve our warm congratulations.”
Brent added: “The standard of all the entries was so incredibly high that I think we could easily have awarded prizes to all of them.
“It also shows the sheer number of people who work so hard running voluntary organisations across the Wrexham area.
“The entries reflected everything from junior football clubs looking for a little help to buy new kit to local charities looking to launch new projects to benefit the community.
“I think this was the perfect way to celebrate our company’s 25th anniversary and it made such an impact that we are now thinking of making the competition an annual event.”
Heather Owen, Brown Owl or leader of 2nd Gresford Brownies, said: “We are thrilled and grateful to have won the £250 prize, especially during the Brownies’ own centenary year.
“The pack has been established for over 50 years and is very strong. We meet every Thursday from 5.30-7pm at Marford Community Centre and always have a full pack with a waiting list.
“We currently cater for 24 girls aged from seven to 10 and are involved in a range of activities organised by our fantastic team of about four leaders.
“One of the things we like to do is take the girls away for short camping trips and part of our £250 prize money will help pay for our next expedition to Chirk Bunkhouse next May.
“We will also use the money to run a special activities day for the girls at our headquarters around next Easter time. We’ve yet to work out details of the programme but it will probably include fun things like circus skills, hula-hooping along with first aid.”
One of the team which helped put together the pack’s entry was eight-year-old Brownie Ffion Evans of Marford who has been a member for the past year.
She said: “I like being in the pack because we have fun and get to do lots of interesting things.”
One of the competition judges who had such a tough job selecting the winners was Amy Bell, an associate at Wrexham-based Coxeys accountants, which has helped Microtech plan for its prosperous future.
She said: “There were so many excellent entries that we had a really difficult job choosing the winners. However, the Brownies obviously put so much effort into their entry that they just had to win one of the prizes.”
Also on the judging panel was Aled Roberts AM, who said: “Choosing the winners was a tough job because of the sheer number and diversity of the entries but I think the Brownies well deserve their prize because of the work they do for their own members within the wider community.
“I think Microtech was pleasantly surprised by the number of entries they received. This was a very good community project for the company to celebrate its success over the past 25 years, for all of which it has been based locally.”
Further prizes in the community competition are due to be awarded soon.
