SCHOOLCHILDREN are aiming to make their fortune from a £10 note, with help from the business community.

Pupils from Commonweal School, St Joseph’s Catholic College, the Swindon Academy and Bradon Forest School, in Purton, as well as the Epic Youth Ministry, have signed up to take part in the Make Your Mark With A Tenner scheme.

The 135 children, aged under 19, have a month to make as much money as they can using £10.

The scheme has been running for the last three years.

But this year it has enlisted the help of major businesses in Swindon to advise pupils.

The scheme was launched yesterday with help from Secret Millionaire star and entrepreneur Caroline Marsh, who was at St Joseph’s to give tips to pupils.

Mrs Marsh, who appeared on the Channel Four programme in September 2008, said: “I believe in giving back to the community, but not just giving back money, it’s giving back my skills and my expertise.

“I believe everybody has a special gift in them and you can do it if you work towards making it happen.”

The nationwide campaign is run by Enterprise UK and involves 2,502 children across the south west.

The scheme has grown massively from last year where only 25 pupils from Swindon took part.

Now major business names in the town are set to visit the schools to give them the benefit of their expertise.

Mrs Marsh made her money in the property market in Swindon after coming to the UK in 2002 from Zambia and is a franchise partner in Platinum Property Partners.

She said she had seen for herself the positive impact on last year’s challengers, particularly in raising their self-esteem.

“You give them an opportunity to experience enterprise at a young age, it gives them so much confidence and raises their aspirations,” she said.

Peter McCourt, a teacher and project co-ordinator at St Joseph’s College, said: “It’s teaching them the value of money, but also how to earn money and respect money.”

St Joseph’s College student Amber Vanhorne, 13, said: “It’s a good idea because it’s something different and it gives you the chance to experience other areas.

“I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet, but some people in our class are doing car washes, magic tricks or cake sales.”

Mellanzio Dacosta, 13, said he was thinking of doing magic tricks.

“My friend says he has got a box of tricks and he’s going to practise with that and I’m going to learn tricks from the internet.

“It’s something to do out of school, I think it will be fun.”