High-flying entrepreneurs use Christmas fayre to raise funds
Added by Love Business East Midlands | 21 December 2024
UPDATED: 2 January 2025
Students from a Derby school had a taste of The Apprentice when they used their entrepreneurial skills to raise funds for school essentials like hoodies and residential trips.
Year six pupils from Bemrose Primary School, in Radcliffe Drive, devised and executed business ideas which led to them setting up fundraising stalls at a Christmas fayre.
Each Christmas, the Year 6 pupils raise funds to benefit the next cohort, creating a sense of community as they appreciate the efforts of the previous group while supporting the one to come.
The pupils were divided into teams and given the responsibility of organising not only their own stalls but the event itself, which also included a Santa’s grotto where you could meet the big man himself.
The school hall was buzzing with excitement, with staff dressed in festive costumes, with activities ranging from decorating cookies, a marble run, and Christmas punch pots to Nerf shooting and knocking Tigger off the chimney. The event raised an impressive £1050, the highest amount the school has ever raised.
Student Heritage Orimogunje, co-creator of 'Ho Ho Holes' — a game where pupils throw snowballs through a net to win prizes — said:
"It’s been awesome working with my friends on this project and watching people enjoy taking part in something we created.
"We came up with the idea while playing football outside, and then used the skills and techniques from the game as the basis for our stall.
“Initially, we had planned to give participants three snowballs, but we wanted to give everyone a better chance, so we decided to increase it to five.”
Families of the students were invited to attend, and the event ran from 2:30 to 4:30pm, with attendees queuing outside from 2:00.
Headteacher Jason Pass said:
“We are so thrilled with how the pupils take on this challenge and use their initiative to create such a successful and fun event.
“Every year we are impressed with the turnout and the generosity of the attendees as they take part in all the activities and raise those all-important funds for the following years benefit.
“Each year, the students strive to outdo the previous year, it’s created a sense of competition that fills the school with energy and gets everyone into the Christmas spirit."
