DEVON-based accountancy firm Simpkins Edwards has continued its support of Exeter College’s Reach Academy this Spring by sponsoring and judging an essay-writing competition for its students.
At present, around 50 gifted and talented students are undertaking extra curricular activities organised by the Reach Academy to help prepare them for entry into some of the UK’s top universities.
To date, these have also included a visit from the Bank of England’s Chief Economist and former Exeter College A level Economics student Spencer Dale, and a tour of Parliament and private meeting with Ben Bradshaw MP at Westminster.
Those taking part in the Simpkins Edwards competition were given the chance to win a new Sony Vaio laptop as well as the opportunity to undertake an internship with the firm during the summer break.
There were three titles to choose from:
How will social networking sites be relevant to businesses in future?
What do you see as the impact of the current recession on the Exeter marketplace?
What are the main barriers to young entrepreneurs in the South West?

The judges – two Simpkins Edwards partners, John Coombs and Adrian Hemmings, and guest assessor Gary Waple, the Finance Director of London-based brand consultancy Acanchi Ltd – were unanimously impressed with the entries.
However, all were in agreement that one in particular stood out – that of Lukas Mackinder, aged 16, of Alphington.
The former West Exe Technology College pupil, who is now studying for A levels in Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Economics, and Critical Thinking at Exeter College, says: “I entered the competition because I thought that social media was quite an interesting subject to write about.
“I was both pleased and surprised to hear I’d won, and I will be taking the laptop to university with me where I know it is going to be very useful.”
Hoping to go on and read Engineering and Science at Oxford or Cambridge, Lukas adds: “I think the Reach Academy is a really good idea for helping people like myself who are aiming for Oxbridge or other top universities.
“We’ve already been on trips to see different universities, we’ve had talks from leading professionals who have helped us to see what it would really be like to work in certain fields, and we are also being given lots of support to help us aim for the universities of our choice.”
Simpkins Edwards partner John Coombs, who was a Governor at Exeter College between 2001 and 2009 and is now an Associate, says that Lukas’s essay particularly stood out because he had explored a huge array of pros and cons surrounding social networking in his essay.
“While all the essays were very good, Lukas’s essay quickly emerged as the winner because he developed quite a number of strands of ideas and interlinked them well,” he explains.
“Most people who had chosen the same subject matter had looked at it from the advertising perspective. Lukas had taken his a step further and was exploring ideas such as immediacy of customer feedback, worker productivity, and human resources issues.
“What particularly hit home was his recognition that companies using social networking had to manage reputational risk.”
Asked why his firm has chosen to become involved with the Reach Academy, he adds: “We are very pleased to be associated with Exeter College’s Reach Academy.
“I think sponsorship from the Met Office and from other professional bodies gives the students direct access to the real world, rather than offering academic delivery in the classroom alone. It means that they are able to talk to real people and find out first-hand from them what is happening at local, regional and national level.”