WINCHESTER University has awarded nearly £20,000 to its students, staff and graduates to help them develop business ideas that could help the community.

The Try It and Do It Enterprise Awards are designed to help people make a difference to the community and to local people by building on a unique business idea.

This year saw five applicants awarded up to £500, as part of the Try It Awards and a further two people were awarded up to £5,000 to further develop successful Try It projects from last year.

One such lucky winner was final year street arts student Daniel Newman-Farr, otherwise known as Magic Dan, who won a £2,000 Do It Award for The Children’s Circus, designed to enhance community engagement and skills development through circus skills workshops.

“I feel that activities such as circus skills should be accessible to all,” he said. “It is important to open these different experiences and opportunities to our younger generation. Winning this award means I can give something back to the community.”

Natalie Norton, senior lecturer in Enterprise at the University, said: “All of this year’s applicants impressed the award panel with their motivation and passion for social change.”

The ‘Try It’ and ‘Do It’ Award funding is managed by the University, the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the social enterprise company UnLtd.