A group of young councillors set out their stalls and had a go at being traditional East End barrow boys and girls.

The members of Newham’s Youth Council pitched their wares in Broadway, Stratford, as part of an event to showcase and celebrate young people’s enterprise and ingenuity by giving them the opportunity to become market traders.

The quality and diversity of their products, and their determination to sell them, showed that the entrepreneurial spirit of Newham’s youngsters is a force to be reckoned with.

The youth councillors joined more than 30 other young people aged 14 to 18 to form six companies selling a range of goods that included non-alcoholic cocktails, popcorn, fruit kebabs with a variety of toppings, fruit smoothies, loom bands and cupcakes and face painting.

The day was arranged in conjunction with the Barrow Boys and Girls Academy, a project that aims to raise awareness and improve knowledge of enterprise among young people.

The budding stall holders had earlier been to workshops involving charity Community Links, East London Business Alliance and HSBC Canary Wharf to learn about customer service, handling money, developing products, budgeting and working as part of a team.

Each team was given a budget of £100 to set up their stall and all six made a profit on the day, which together totalled almost £400. Newham councillors Winston Vaughan, Terrence Paul and Aleen Alarice visited on the day to offer support.

Young Mayor Adam Khaliq said: “All the teams worked hard on their individual projects and the successful market day was a real reward for all the effort put in. All those who took part gained valuable insight into the business world and hopefully some will be inspired to use what they learned in their future careers.”