AN ABERTILLERY primary school pupil has won a competition organised by a leading enterprise charity.

Millie Dyson, 11, was awarded the Best Sales Pitch for her painting business in the Fiver from Home competition, run by Young Enterprise and funded in Wales by Principality Building Society.

Running from June to September, the scheme saw over 7,500 primary school pupils from across Wales take part.

Millie was awarded the prize after delivering a 60 second sales pitch that best demonstrated her painting business - Painted Nature - which uses environmentally friendly materials.

The purpose of the pitch was to attract potential investors, and judges wanted to know what the business was and why people should be interested in it.

The initiative asked students aged five to eleven to create, research, and plan a business with just £5. As the sponsor of Fiver from Home in Wales for the next three years, Principality provided funding allowing Young Enterprise to bring the challenge to Wales on a larger scale and for the first time in the Welsh language.

Millie’s mum, Tracey Dyson, said: “As part of the Fiver from Home challenge, I helped Millie market her product on my social media, initially as research.

“Lots of my friends placed orders from the market research questionnaire. We posted her finished product as far as the Orkney Islands.

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“People were very pleased with their product, and one person also give her advice of opening her own shop on Etsy”.

Created in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Fiver from Home this year replaced the Fiver Challenge which usually runs in the classroom.

The new initiative enabled young people to develop their creativity, commercial awareness, and money management skills while at home during lockdown and throughout the summer holidays.

Each winner received an iPad and WRU shirt donated by Principality Building Society.

Julie-Ann Haines, CEO, Principality Building Society said: “As a mutual society, we are passionate about helping young people to build their life skills, which includes supporting hard working schools with financial education and careers-based activities.

“We were blown away by the entries from across Wales this year, it demonstrated the desire from young people to challenge themselves and engage in entrepreneurship from home”.

Over the past 18 months, Wales’ largest building society has been working with partners such as Young Money and Young Enterprise to reach over 21,000 students with financial education and careers-based activities. The challenge is set to continue next year.

Russell Winnard, Director of Programmes and Services, Young Enterprise said: “The achievements of young people through the Fiver Challenge always amazes me, but to do so with the significant barriers faced due to COVID is resilience, innovation and creativity in action. Due to the fantastic support of Principality Building Society more primary aged young people in Wales participated in the Fiver Challenge than ever before, developing crucial skills to help them learn to earn and manage their money.”

To find out more, visit www.principality.co.uk/fiverchallenge