ENTREPRENEURS of the future were given a lesson on how a 7ft monkey mascot can convey a business message.

Pupils taking part in the Future Business Magnates competition learned about marketing and PR and how to compete in the marketplace.

Students from Durham Business Community College were being taught about getting messages across to customers by their mentor from Northumbrian Water, who took along Chips the Grease Monkey to demonstrate public relations.

The Future Business Magnates contest, devised by the Durham District Partnership, involves ten schools from the city competing over nine months in all aspects of running a business.

Year eight pupils are teamed with mentors from the business community to meet a series of monthly challenges in the project, which is backed by The Northern Echo and sponsored by Yorkshire Bank and Lafarge.

Mentors in the competition include experts from companies and organisations such as Northumbrian Water, B&Q and Durham University.

Richard Seales, from Northumbrian Water, said: "The students I am mentoring are one of two teams from Durham Business Community College.

"We brought our own mascot, Chips the Grease Monkey, to show how we can get a very serious message across to customers in a fun way."

Northumbrian Water's mascot Chips reminds customers not to pour hot or cold fat, cooking oil or grease down sinks and drains to avoid blocked sewers.

The 12-year-olds from the college are working on their business, Fast and Furious Quad Bike Park, and are looking at a number of areas to make their business successful.

"The most fun we have had so far is deciding on a name and what we were going to do for a business," said business student Rosie Hague.

"What we didn't realise was how difficult it is to set up a business and all of the different parts that go to make a business work."

The groups have worked on a range of areas, or challenges, which include location of the business, what departments and responsibilities people in the company take on, as well as identifying the target market.

For business magnate stories and the up-to-date competition league tables, visit www.business echo.co.uk