Cricket champion Alec Stewart bowls over Cambridgeshire students at Yorkshire Bank event

22nd May 2014

Students at a Cambridge secondary school were bowled over when former England cricket captain Alec Stewart visited as part of Yorkshire Bank’s Business Week.

Yorkshire Bank Ambassador Alec met with dozens of local business figures and pupils during the event at Comberton Village College on Monday 12th May.

The event began with a lunch and Q&A session attended by members of the local business community and 25 students.

Alec, who was awarded Order of the British Empire for services to cricket in 2003, later met with pupils from across the school during a variety of cricket coaching sessions. He also participated in a media project during which he was interviewed by four pupils and photographed by sixth former Sammy Johnson. Sammy now plans to submit her striking portrait of Alec as part of her exam portfolio.

Simon Moore, Head of Yorkshire Bank’s Business and Private Banking Centre in Peterborough, said: “Welcoming a sporting legend like Alec Stewart was a pleasure and a memorable occasion.

“Alec has gained a wealth of experience, firstly during his cricketing career and later through his charity and community work. It was an inspiration to hear about his life as part of Business Week.

“Our business guests were very impressed by the contribution made by students during the Q&A, and we’ve all been impressed by the wonderful portrait taken of Alec by Comberton sixth former Sammy Johnson.”

Business Week runs from 12-16 May and has seen more than 250 customer-focused events staged at the Bank’s UK-wide network of Business and Private Banking Centres, including a number of high profile events in Cambridgeshire and the East Midlands.

Businesses from across the UK are being invited to meet with some of the UK’s leading financial experts to discuss their most pressing commercial issues such as; planning and securing finance for growth, improving profitability and succession planning.

Research commissioned by Yorkshire Bank as part of Business Week suggested that East Midlands small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are ready to invest over £8bn of their own turnover* into the local economy over the next 12 months.

*Source: Dept BIS. Annual SME total turnover £92bn