At the Centre for Leadership Performance, we’re thrilled to share and to celebrate the achievements of young entrepreneurs from primary schools across Cumbria who have raised over £3,000 in profit for good causes through the Bright Stars competition.
Starting with a £50 stake, 9 primary schools were supported by 9 businesses and tasked with creating their social enterprise ideas supported by their business mentors. They put their brilliant ideas into action over an 8 week trading period with the aim of making a difference to their community and a profit.
The children have so far raised over £3,000 for good causes while learning how businesses work, developing new skills in leadership, team working and communication, building their confidence and self-belief and of course having fun.
Bright Stars Autumn/Winter 2024 generated a range of brilliant ideas designed to deliver benefits for individuals and communities.
A Distington Community School teacher has this to say:
“The Bright Stars Project has had a massive impact on the school. Not just with the children who have taken part in the project, but also the other pupils and the wider community. The children taking part, have learnt the importance of if you work you see the benefits and rewards. As well, as all the different strands there is to running a successful business. It has improved their team work skills, motivation and determination. It has increased our connections with the local community and we are really grateful for their support.”
See highlights of the Spring/Summer 2024 Bright Stars awards here.
Plans are now in place for the Spring/Summer 2025 programme. The CforLP already has a list of schools signed up and is seeking more, but they need companies to partner and invest in the programme so they can participate. If your school or business would like to take part in Bright Stars Spring/Summer 2025 and/or Autumn/Winter 2025, visit https://www.cforlp.org.uk/bright-stars-primary/
The winners and sponsors are all listed below:
Best Community Engagement
Winning School: Asby Endowed School
Business Mentor: My Community Penrith
Social Enterprise: Asby Beetle Drives organised a Beetle Drive event – a fun game for all ages – to combat loneliness and raise funds for the Asby Tree Group, ensuring trees will be planted as a result of their efforts.
Reason for win: They did such a brilliant job bringing their village together with their Beetle Drive event! It was fun for all ages, helped combat loneliness, and even raised funds for the Asby Tree Group to plant more trees. With around 70 people turning up, their effort to involve local businesses, design the event, and spread the word really paid off. What a fantastic way to bring the community together!
Best Logo and Marketing Campaign
Winning School: Beckstone Primary School
Business Mentor: Amcor Flexibles Cumbria
Social Enterprise: Beckstone Rainbows worked as a team to run a Christmas Craft Afternoon and Cracker Workshop and they sold handmade Halloween bracelets and sweet cones. They had a successful event that raised money for Cheer Force Knights and will also fund the upgrade of their school’s play equipment.
Reason for win: Beckstone Primary School produced a strong marketing plan that played a key role in the success of their social enterprise. They carefully planned how to spread the word, identifying their target audience and creating a clear message. Their fantastic logo featured a rainbow and a star for their Bright Stars project. The pupils designed and displayed eye-catching posters and used a school stall to promote their products and tickets for their event.
Most profitable social enterprise
Winning School: Distington Community School
Business Mentor: GRAHAM
Social Enterprise: DCS Fundrasiers teamed up to raise funds through a cake sale, a Christmas Film Night, and their fantastic Best of Distington Winter Warmers Recipe Book. They got the whole community involved by collecting local recipes, turning it into something truly special.
Reason for win: By selling tickets, snacks, and their cookbook, the pupils made a fantastic profit of £1,028. Using their communication skills, they wrote letters and emails to parents, shops, and supermarkets, securing generous donations. They also promoted their events with eye-catching posters and Class Dojo posts. Their hard work strengthened connections with local businesses and created a recipe book that families can enjoy for years to come!
Best and Most Positive Long-Term Impact
Winning School: Kingmoor Nursery and Infant School
Business Mentor: Nestlé
Social Enterprise: The pupils got creative with their Christmas Window Wander sheetsand a craft competition and made reindeer food and log Christmas tree decorations – all designed with sustainability in mind! Their efforts supported Oak Tree Animal Refuge and they did a fantastic job marketing their social enterprise with festive digital posters and social media posts that really grabbed attention.
Reason for win: The pupils put together their social enterprise with sustainability at the heart of it, aiming to create a lasting positive impact while backing Oak Tree Animal Refuge. After a class vote to focus on sustainability, they made some awesome choices, like using recycled materials for packaging, picking cardboard over plastic, and collecting scrap paper to print their Christmas Window Wander sheets. To raise support for their cause, they kicked off a craft competition all about recycling and even created cute handmade items like reindeer food and log Christmas tree decorations, all crafted with sustainability and the long term impact in mind!
Best Team Work, Collaboration and Leadership
Winning School: Morland Area C of E Primary School
Business Mentor: Stepping Stones School of Dance and Fitness
Social Enterprise: Morland Comes Dancing held a community dance competition with a mini disco and refreshments, ensuring everyone had a good time. Their entrepreneurial efforts continued at the school’s Christmas Fair, where they ran stalls and created and sold handmade dance bracelets, baked mince pies and crispy cakes.
Reason for win: The pupils demonstrated strong leadership throughout their social enterprise project, “Morland Comes Dancing.” They brainstormed, pitched their ideas and then voted to elect leaders and assign roles based on each team member’s strengths. Everyone had a role that suited them perfectly, from CEOs and finance team members to front-of-house staff and even a DJ! Their teamwork and leadership skills were key in planning and bringing their business idea to life. They also designed logos, tickets, and posters to promote the event and shared a video of the day on social media.
To read what all the schools got up to, click here
To view all the fabulous school videos, click here
Click here to find out how to sign up and get involved in this exciting competition!
What’s in it for you:
Ready to inspire the next generation of leaders?
Sign up now to get involved in Bright Stars Spring/Summer 2025!
Click here to find out how to sign up and get involved in this exciting competition!
