Circus skills performer and Sheffield Hallam University student Charlie Ledger may soon have to juggle her studies and her own business after being announced as a finalist in this year’s Enterprise Challenge.
Charlie, who studies sports technology at Sheffield Hallam, hopes to impress judges at the challenge on Thursday 2 October with her social enterprise idea – Serendipity Circus, which aims to promote positive social change through circus arts. While circus arts can help to improve fitness, health and co-ordination, the benefits don’t stop there.
Charlie believes that circus skills can help to improve wellbeing, mental health and of course bring people together to share and learn new skills. With this in mind she wants to develop her circus skills workshops for disadvantaged young people in the region.
“Circus is exciting and can provide a great adrenaline buzz. This sort of activity engages with young people more than sitting in a classroom might and it’s great for their health and fitness. I want to share my passion and skills with young people, giving them the opportunity to practice in a safe and controlled environment, while providing them with something exciting to focus their energy on.
With hula hooping, juggling and tightrope walking in her repertoire, Charlie specialises in the Cyr Wheel, a large metal hoop which spins like a coin with the acrobat using their body weight to maintain momentum.
The initial focus of Serendipity Circus will be to produce and sell Cyr Wheels. Charlie is working with the Materials and Engineering Research Institute at Sheffield Hallam and using her own knowledge in sports technology to improve Cyr Wheel designs. She is currently in talks with various steel manufacturers across Sheffield.
Charlie recently won £2,500 from Hallam Students’ Union’s Grow It Innovation Award which she used to buy a new Cyr Wheel. If she wins, the Enterprise Challenge prize fund of £5,000 will go towards Cyr Wheel building materials and equipment for her workshops.
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