Move over Lord Sugar - could your Milton Keynes business match BBC Apprentice candidates?

The new series of BBC 1’s The Apprentice featuring Milton Keynes candidate Rochelle Anthony, who owns The Dollshouse Hair Salon & Academy, kicked off last night.

While she joined 17 other candidates hoping to secure Lord Sugar's investment a solicitors firm in Milton Keynes is offering businesses the chance to take on an Apprentice-style challenge for charity.

The #Franklins50 challenge will see teams test their business acumen to turn £50 seed funding into as much money as possible for their chosen charity over three months. Teams can choose to support MK Act, Willen Hospice, or MK Food Bank and have between February 13 and May 12 to be crowned the Lord Sugar of the boardroom at a small awards ceremony.

Budding teams can take inspiration from previous series of the BBC One show like the episode where candidates had to spot treasures in the trash to make the most money at Wimbledon Car Boot Sale. Registration for this novel team-building opportunity is open until February 12.

Denise Watson, Associate Partner at Franklins Solicitors LLP, said: “Local businesses have the chance to demonstrate their business prowess and take part in our Apprentice-style challenge to help tackle the local cost-of-living crisis and improve wellbeing. It's a brilliant team-building opportunity and we can’t wait to see what imaginative ways teams come up with to make some money.”

A resident of MK Act’s refuge said: “I’m so pleased MK Act are included in the #Franklins50 fundraising challenge. The money raised in the challenge will help victims of domestic abuse through their Last Resort Fund. This fund saved my life and paid for us to leave our home safely and quickly where we were in danger. It paid for our taxi, a hotel for 2 nights and emergency food for us.”

Teams can find out more, and register, here:

> Rochelle Anthony who features in the 17th series of the popular show, says she prides herself on her great intuition, claiming: “I’m always being compared to the Kim Kardashian of the business world because I’m doing business with a hint of glam.”