A Leicester-based young entrepreneur and former PJEA Leicester College learner has been announced as a winner in the first ever Citrus Awards – celebrating his innovative use of social media to grow his business.

Will Prentice, the 18-year-old owner of Elite Scooters and a graduate of the Peter Jones Academy at Leicester College, was named the winner of the ‘Newcomer of the Year’ category at the glittering ceremony, which was held at Kilworth House on Thursday, November 7 2013.

Will is a professional freestyle scooter rider who saw a niche in the market to manufacture high quality scooter components at a larger size.

During his time at Leicester College, Will set up a Facebook page and has already attracted 13,000 likes while an Instagram account shows pictures of available products.

A UK manufacturer was sourced and professional riders signed up to promote the brand, while a YouTube channel perfectly showcases the product to the target audience.

Will said: “It’s been a bit of whirlwind start to my career, I can’t quite believe everything that’s happened to me, it’s been amazing. The Peter Jones Academy at Leicester College has given me so much confidence to go out there and run my business, it was a great experience.

“My target audience uses social media all the time so it’s a perfect way for me to communicate with them, get their feedback and find out what they want from me. I want to keep on using it to grow my business and expand into other areas of extreme sports.”

The awards attracted entrants from across the country and from a wide range of industries. A total of 27 firms were in the running to land a coveted prize, championing effective use of social media by small businesses.

Louise Jones, Business Enterprise Manager at Leicester College, said: “Will truly deserves to receive the Newcomer of the Year award as his use of social media to market his business is inspiring!”

Daniel Owens, of organisers Orange Juice Communications, said: “We were overwhelmed by both the quantity and quality of entries, judging was an incredibly difficult process but we were unanimous in our conclusion that Will Prentice was a worthy winner.”

The ceremony rewarded everyone from start-ups who have had to build relationships from scratch to established companies who have reached out to a whole new audience.

The awards, sponsored by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership and VIP Leisure Travel, featured seven different categories, including ‘Post of the Year’, ‘Best Outcome through Social Media’ and ‘Social Media Practitioner of the Year’.