A LOCAL entrepreneur has seen his long-held dream come true as a product he designed hit the market earlier this month.

Mike Sharp, 32, of Redhouse, came up with the idea of Veggie Trumps seven years ago and earlier this month received his first batch.

The game is similar to Top Trumps but there is a focus on fruit and vegetables, so it has an educational twist for young people.

Already copies of the game have been sent as far as Australia and New Zealand, and Mike is now hoping sales will pick up over here.

He said: “It was absolutely fantastic to get the cards. It sounds silly but it is the small things like seeing a barcode on them.

“The product is really close to what I wanted it to be as well.

“I wanted to create some characters for the fruits and they are on there. The facts on them are all correct as well so it is good for getting a message back.

“A lot of the feedback I have had so far has been from teachers who say Veggie Trumps fits in well with their lesson plans.

“There is a description of the items for them to read, the game involves maths and there is the healthy eating plan.”

Mike got much of the cash through funding organisation Kickstarter, and despite an initial hiccup was able to raise the £2,000 he needed to have the first batch made.

Packets of the game can now be purchased online at the Veggie Trumps website.

“To start with I set up a Kickstarter page but didn’t make the amount I intended,” said Mike.

“But there was enough interest from people to indicate there was a demand, so I scaled back and started again looking for a smaller amount.

“We had to print a smaller batch and have them made somewhere else but I got enough pledges to raise the money needed.

“When I first had the idea seven years ago it seemed almost impossible to get a product like this on to the market. Kickstarter has made such a difference in making things like this possible.

“The feedback so far has been very positive from people who have played the game and a number of orders have already come through, so fingers crossed it can grow from here.”

Details about the game and how to buy a copy can be found at www.veggietrumps.com.