YOUNG entrepreneurs at Dorcan Academy have donated the profits from their school business ventures to Prospect Hospice.

The Year 11 business and enterprise students gave the charity a cheque for £383.49 after selling home-made bath bombs and originally flavoured drinks and sweets to employees at the Thermo Fisher Swindon office.

Working in teams they started their own enterprise and learnt skills such as how to write a business plan, creating a unique selling point (USP), as well as marketing their products.

Organiser Victoria Evans, Head of Business, Media and ICT at The Dorcan Academy said: “It has been very rewarding to see these students rise to the challenge of working well in teams to run a small business.

“This project has allowed them to develop key work-based skills in communication, organisation and time-planning alongside raising their own self-esteem by successfully making a profit and gaining great feedback from customers.”

Sam Romanek, HR business partner at Thermo Fisher Scientific, said: “Being able to host the school enterprise event is a great way to demonstrate our partnership with The Dorcan Academy and to support The Prospect Hospice.

"The students had worked really hard, planned and executed some greats items to sell.

“On the day, the students made £383.49, we have been so impressed with the students dedication and efforts that we have now agreed to match the final figure for the Prospect Hospice.’ The final donation to The Prosect Hospice will be a phenomenal £766.98!”

Hollie Ricketts, Community Fundraiser for Prospect Hospice, said: "It was really great to see all the hard work that the students had put in over the weeks and months leading up to the day and how excited and engaged they were with the challenge."

The 27 students who took part are about to be awarded with the Cambridge National Award in Business, once they pass exams, a qualification which teaches practical skills for the business world.