ENTERPRISING students made their mark when they sold products from their own businesses at a fair in Basingstoke town centre.

The pupils from schools in Hampshire have set up businesses with support from charity Young Enterprise, and they were given the chance to sell to the public at the event in The Malls.

A total of 125 pupils from 27 schools took part, running their stalls from 9.30am to 1pm.

Councillor Martin Biermann, Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane, awarded prizes to the winning stalls, with the Best Stand award going to pupils from The Costello School, in Crossborough Hill, Basingstoke, and the Best Business Model prize being awarded to Cranbourne Business and Enterprise College, in Wessex Close, Basingstoke.

Clair Young, Cranbourne’s Young Enterprise co-ordinator, said: “Our students worked really hard and were rewarded for their efforts, which is wonderful.”

The event was held during Young Enterprise’s 50th anniversary year.

Kate Casey, local Young Enterprise manager for North and North East Hampshire, said: “The way Young Enterprise works is students set up and run a real business throughout the course of the academic year.

“They are supported and guided by a local business volunteer.

“They allocate various roles, including sales, marketing and company director, and determine what sort of company they will be.”

Some of the products on sale at the fair included memory sticks embedded into bracelets, tie-dye T-shirts, bags and Christmas decorations.

Mrs Casey said: “A lot of them will have seen the fair as an opportunity to raise money to plough back into the business to buy more products. They learned a lot because they were selling to the general public.

“It was an opportunity to make money, have fun, see their competition and meet students from other schools to share experiences. It’s so difficult out there for young people to find jobs, and a lot of them want to learn the skills of running a business.”