PRIMARY school pupils in Denbighshire have proven themselves as promising entrepreneurs at a national competition that aims to find and nurture the most promising young business talent

Part of the Welsh Government’s ‘Big Ideas Wales’ initiative, Enterprise Troopers is an annual competition that seeks to encourage creativity and business skills in young people aged 5-11 and challenge them to develop their own business ideas.

The competition asks pupils from across Wales to join forces in school teams to create and run their own enterprises, selling products or services of their choosing in their schools and communities, with the hope that they learn ad develop skills for the workplace.

Of the eight schools taking part in the competition, Ysgol Llannefydd finished in the top three, which qualifies the school for the national finals in Cardiff next month.

Through their business, Cwmni Nwyddau Cymraeg Newydd, Ysgol Llanefydd’s Year 6 pupils had designed Christmas items such as sacks, socks and cushions which caused a storm at Llanefydd’s Town Hall Christmas market in December last year.

Gari Evans, headteacher of Ysgol Llanefydd, said: “We’re very proud of the children as they’ve worked hard to set up the business and had a lot of success in raising money at the Christmas market which will be reinvested.”

Ysgol Llanefydd’s previous efforts have seen pupils sell other Christmas-themed items such as crockery, keyrings, necklaces and bracelets and sponsored by Llan y Llaeth and Bryn Williams’ Porth Eirias restaurant.

“This is a business model we run with year 5 and 6 pupils every year and this cohort has done really well. The children have created a new action plan and logo, and the business’s profit margins, doing the majority of the legwork themselves. Congratulations to them all.”

Cheryl Gourlay, national enterprise manager for NatWest Cymru said: “It’s vital that we encourage entrepreneurial attitudes in children from an early age, to allow them to develop life skills and talents that are essential to their development.

“So many of the children who presented their business ideas today are showing clear signs of being budding young entrepreneurs.”

They now head to the national final at Cardiff Metropolitan University on July 3.