Sixth former students welcomed former Apprentice finalist Claire Young to kick-start the new school term.

And the pupils of Hipperholme Grammar School got under way as they mean to go on – with a fundraising enterprise challenge.

Claire, who appeared with Lord Sugar on the hit BBC TV show, spoke to students to motivate them for the new academic year ahead.

Claire, who is a supporter and corporate member of the Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, set them an enterprise challenge to raise funds for the charity.

Claire, of Wakefield, talked to the students about her passion for the Huddersfield-based hospice and told them about her education and working life.

She explained how she came to apply and be accepted for the BBC Apprentice TV programme and what it was like to participate.

She then described how this led her to set up her own businesses.

An inspirational public speaker, Claire kept her audience spellbound for an hour – with no reference to notes.

She is an Ambassador for the Youth Enterprise and was a finalist in the 2008 series, missing out on being ‘hired’ by the winner, Lee McQueen.

The students have now began working on their projects with fundraising later in the school term.