Children from a Primary School in Lansbury Park, Caerphilly, have made it through to the final of a national competition.
St Helen’s Primary School was one of 14 schools competing at the regional final of the Enterprise Troopers Competition, which was held at Llancaiach Fawr, near Nelson.
The pupils impressed the judges with their business idea of a community café called ‘Caffi Blasus’.
They will now compete at the Wales-wide final, which will be held at Cardiff Metropolitan University in July.
The competition, which is run by Big Ideas Wales and the Welsh Government’s Youth Entrepreneurship Service, is aimed at encouraging entrepreneurship among children aged between five and 11.
As part of the scheme, pupils work in teams to create and run their own businesses, selling products or services of their choosing in their schools and local communities.
Four other regional finals will be taking place across different parts of Wales to determine who the pupils at St Helen’s will be competing against.
Speaking at the event, St Helen’s headteacher Tim Crosse said: “We’re really proud of our pupils for making it through to the national final. They’ve worked so hard and impressed us all with their flair for entrepreneurship. Here’s hoping we can continue the success at the final in Cardiff.”
Cheryl Gourlay, national enterprise manager from the event’s associate sponsor, 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.
“All of the children who presented their business ideas today are showing clear signs of being budding young entrepreneurs and we hope they continue to develop their entrepreneurial flair and business ventures over the years to come.”
Lesley Edwards of Llancaiach Fawr said: “Enterprise Troopers is a great thing for schools in Wales to be a part of, offering primary school children the opportunity to develop their entrepreneurial skills early on.
“We’ve seen plenty of business skills on display at today’s event, with some great enterprise ideas presented too. It’s safe to say, the future is bright for Welsh business.”