ENTERPRISING young people battled it out in the final of a money-making competition.

Students from six local schools took part in the Young Enterprise North Hampshire Final on April 29, at the Ark Conference Centre, in Basingstoke.

The teams of Year 10 students were tasked with forming their own company in September last year, as part of the Young Enterprise Company Programme, and have been running their businesses since.

The scheme is designed for 15 to 19-year-olds to set up a business and make and sell products to generate income.

At the final, the teams were judged by local business supporters, including Steve Hayden, managing director of Inesco, and Nicola Biggs, a solicitor with Joanne Houston Just Family Ltd.

The top award, for the Best Company, went to team Perception from The Costello School, in Crossborough Hill, who created a range of goods, including bracelets and T-shirts, that could be sold either year-round or at set events.

Awards were presented by Mark Jones, director of fundraising and communications at the Ark Cancer Centre Charity.

Other award winners included team Kahoona, from Basingstoke College of Technology, for Best New Media, and Tadley Taders, from The Hurst Community College, who won the Innovation award.

Team Perception also won the award for Best Presentation.