Aberdeen graduates turn £1 into £75k for charity

The graduates at Talisman Sinopec Energy smashed the previous record in the Micro Tyco Business Challenge by £23,000 after being given just £1 of seed funding for the contest.

Sir Tom Hunter, the Scottish entrepreneur and philanthropist who is a major supporter of the event, praised the remarkable achievement of the oil company team.

He said: “Micro Tyco challenge offers young people across Scotland the opportunity to be all they can be, learning about business and coming up with some truly innovative ideas and approaches. In raising more than £75,000, the Talisman Sinopec graduate team has accomplished something absolutely remarkable - an achievement that serves to raise the bar, as this challenge has continued to do year on year.”

The challenge aims to “release entrepreneurial talent across all age groups” through inspiration and business mentorship, while raising funds for the WildHearts Foundation which supports a range of services to help people in poverty in 25 countries throughout the world.

A spokesman for Talisman Sinopec explained: “A variety of fundraising events and activities including a charity raffle, auction and cycling challenge were held and, in just four weeks, the graduates smashed the previously held record of £52,000 and raised an astonishing £75,764.”

Geoff Holmes, the company’s chief executive, said: “The graduates have done an exceptional job of promoting the charity throughout the company and deserve an enormous amount of credit for their incredible success. On a personal note, I am extremely proud of them all – they showed a real determination and commitment to the cause, something that will serve them well in their future careers with our company.

“I would also like to thank all of our staff for their generosity, and the many energy industry companies and individuals who provided support – we could not have achieved this fantastic total without them.”