Enterprising children raise bumper charity donation

The spirit of enterprise was in the air as children at a Canning Town primary school held a market day to help raise more than �1,100 for a good cause.

Pupils at St Luke’s in Ruscoe Road put their business skills into practice at an enterprise market to raise money for the Good Shepherd Project (GSP) charity, which supports poor children in Brazil.

Pat Liddiard, director of GSP, who opened the market, said: “I just can’t believe the generosity of the children, teachers and sponsors to the GSP.

“We will be able to set up six families as poultry farmers – and that’s a lot of children who will benefit from the nutrition.”

The market was the climax of a week of events designed to develop pupils’ maths skills.

During World Maths Day, the children tested their arithmetic against pupils across the world.

Miglerd Mucina, of Year 6, said: “I was competing against kids in Brazil, South Africa and Qatar. It helped me get much quicker with my times tables and it was really exciting to know that I was working with so many different children.”

For their enterprise market, the pupils had to set up companies to manufacture products to sell at the end of the week.

Firms had to visit the school ‘bank’ to apply for a loan, then spend the rest of the week using the money to make, cook, create and advertise for the market.

The businesses included a bakery, sweet shop, cafe, portrait and key ring stall.

Eleanor Ayeni, of Year 4, said: “I thought the week was really good because I can now work out things quicker.”