WINCHESTER University has awarded nearly £20,000 to its students, staff and graduates to help them develop business ideas that could help the community.

The Try It and Do It Enterprise Awards are designed to help people make a difference to the community and by building on a unique business idea.

This year saw five applic-ants awarded up to £500, and a further two people were awarded up to £5,000 to further develop successful Try It projects from last year.

One such winner was final year street arts student Daniel Newman-Farr, otherwise known as Magic Dan, who won a £2,000 Do It Award for The Children’s Circus, designed to enhance community engagement and skills development through circus skills workshops.

“I feel that activities such as circus skills should be accessible to all,” he said. “It is important to open these different experiences and opportunities to our younger generation. Winning this award means I can give something back to the community.”