Young entrepreneurs from primary schools have raised almost £17,000 for charity, as part of the Bright Stars competition organised by the Centre for Leadership Performance.
34 schools across Cumbria were tasked with creating social enterprise ideas.
Starting with a £50 stake, and supported by 31 businesses, the children developed and implemented their ideas over an 8 week trading period, with the aim of making a profit and making a difference to their communities.
A number of ideas surfaced as part of the initiative.
These included friendship bracelets and wild flower plants to promote well-being, driven by students at Wiggonby CofE Primary School.
Orton CofE Primary School's Cool Creatures products were designed to encourage more insects.
Hand Puppet Reading Buddies were made by Inglewood Nursery and Infant School.
Meanwhile, Kingmoor Nursery and Infant School secured the best logo award for their Wellbeing Event.
And Clifton Primary School stepped up to the challenge, creating wildflower seed bombs.
Sarah Glass, executive director at the Centre for Leadership Performance, said: "Schools and businesses understand the need to connect children at an early age with the idea of doing something for others and making a difference to your local community.
"That is something businesses do every day and Bright Stars provides a natural link so that the children can learn, develop their own leadership skills and have great fun.
"Bright Stars helps to shape the workforce and entrepreneurs of the future, and the children showed their promise by once again rising magnificently to the challenge with their partner companies."
The Centre for Leadership Performance has a list of schools signed up for its autumn/winter 2024 programme and is seeking more schools, but also requires companies to partner and invest in the programme.
Schools or businesses interested in participating in the autumn/winter 2024 programme, or the spring/summer 2025 programme, can visit https://www.cforlp.org.uk/bright-stars-primary/.
Highlights of the spring/summer 2024 awards can be viewed at https://youtu.be/QwshLiwsS00?si=3Qsy3cMf1JKo9eI6.
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