Ashington pupils given showcase for skills

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Posted by The Journal on Nov 27, 08 09:35 AM in School news

Northumberland jam, African jewellery and American cookies were among the goods on offer at two internationally-themed markets staged during Enterprise Week.

All the items sold during the events in Bedlington last Friday and in Ashington on Saturday were produced by young people aged between five and 19, from 16 schools across the Wansbeck district.

The project involved almost 700 students and was organised by the Wansbeck Education Enterprise Network (WEEN). It receives funds from the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative (LEGI) programme to encourage enterprise culture among young people.

In addition to manning the stalls, students carried out market research prior to the event and organised their own marketing plans and budgets, with help from business mentors.

Lindsey Dunn, of WEEN, said: "We are delighted with the success of the event - it has given local school pupils the opportunity to showcase their skills and talents to the local community and they have really enjoyed the day."

A variety of jams were produced by children at St Benedict's Middle School in Ashington, following a recipe provided by the grandmother of one of the pupils. Kate Marshall, 12, said: "I really enjoyed it and I didn't think it would be so easy to make a product and sell it so quickly."

Her views were echoed by Sam Hall, 13. "I didn't realise it was so easy to sell to people," he said.

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