29 September 2021

Dinas Powys school children awarded iPads from Principality following entrepreneurial challenge win

Dinas Powys school pupils have been presented with prizes after winning an entrepreneurial competition organised by Young Enterprise and funded in Wales by Principality Building Society.

The pupils from team ‘Seed Squad’ from year five at St Andrew’s Major Church in Wales Primary School have each received iPads, donated by Principality Building Society, for coming out top in the Best Welsh Business category as part of the Fiver Challenge competition. 

Running during the summer months, the scheme saw over 3,000 primary school pupils from across Wales take part in the challenge, which asks pupils to create, research and plan a business with just £5. The initiative allows children to develop their creativity, commercial awareness and money management skills.

Team Seed Squad have each been gifted an iPad for their winning entrepreneurial idea of a sustainable plant pot business, which uses recycled newspapers and compost to make sunflower plant pots for sale. The judges at Young Enterprise and Principality were impressed with team Seed Squad’s delivery of their proposal and sales pitch on their sustainable business idea, as well as their market research, planning and good understanding of profit and loss. 

Jenny Bush, teacher at St Andrew’s Major said: “Our pupils are all so proud of their business idea and are over the moon being awarded an iPad from Principality. Every year the Fiver Challenge is a great opportunity for our young children to gain understanding of planning and running their own businesses in the future and we always encourage pupils throughout the school to take part. The pupils behind Seed Squad are so grateful to Principality for their iPads, which we think is well deserved after all their hard work.’’

As the sponsor of Fiver Challenge in Wales for three years, Principality provided funding allowing Young Enterprise to bring the challenge to Wales on a larger scale and in the Welsh language. Since 2019, the Society has worked with partners such as Young Enterprise to reach 48,000 children and young people with financial education and careers based learnings.

Vicky Wales, Chief Customer Officer at Principality Building Society said: “As a member-owned organisation, we are passionate about helping young people to build their life skills, which includes supporting hard working schools with financial education and careers-based activities. Our three-year partnership with Young Enterprise is part of our ongoing commitment to financial education within Wales and every year we’re impressed with the standard of entries from schools across the country. Team Seed Squad's business idea showed a real commitment to supporting and protecting the environment, as well as giving back to the school. No doubt we are seeing our future entrepreneurs here.’’

Russell Winnard, Director of Programmes and Services at Young Enterprise said: “Once again, we have been blown away by the amazing Fiver Challenge business ideas we have seen from the winners of the competitions and by young entrepreneurs across Wales. We are so proud to work with Principality as we continue to offer this opportunity to inspire an enterprising mindset within the next generation.” 

To find out more, visit https://www.fiverchallenge.org.uk/

Published: 29/09/2021