EVERY year, Year 9 business students from Bohunt School take part in a national enterprise competition called MicroTyco, the aim of which is to turn their ‘seed capital’ of £1 into as much money as they can in 30 days.

Run by a charity called WildHearts, the MicroTyco competition encourages students across the country to ‘become an entrepreneur to fund an entrepreneur’.

The money raised by Bohunt students helps aspiring entrepreneurs in developing countries get their own businesses off the ground through start-up micro-loans, 90 per cent of which are to female entrepreneurs.

Students organise themselves into small groups, come up with an idea and start trading. The competitors take many different approaches to the contest, from buying and selling sweets and chocolates to creating their own Christmas-based products to sell to their friends and family, neighbours, and staff at Bohunt School.

The students are motivated by the knowledge their profits are used by somebody on the other side of the world to start their own business – and hopefully improving both their own and their family’s lives.

This money is repaid and gets used repeatedly in another community.

One of Bohunt’s most successful entrepreneurs this year was Poppy R. She created ‘Talking to Plants’ pansy and tomato seed kits, which she sold at Camelsdale Primary School Christmas market, raising £75.50 all on her own from her £1 seed capital.

This year Bohunt School’s 40 teams managed to generate a combined profit of £868, beating last year’s £800 record.

The competition has been running now for five years and in that time Bohunt students have raised a combined total of £3,290.

Teacher Jake King said: “I am incredibly proud of the effort put in by our Year 9 students this year. With Covid restrictions in place, it was a tougher ask than normal, but they showed fantastic ingenuity and perseverance, and ended up raising more money than we ever have for this worthy cause.”