Enterprising Uxbridge College students have raised charity cash through a range of activities launched on an investment of just £10.

Small businesses were set up as part of the Tenner Tycoon challenge selling items including international foods, decorated wooden cutlery, CDs of original music and hand-made jewellery. Another team set up a henna painting service.

Profits have been donated to the Mayor of Hillingdon Councillor Michael Markham’s charities which support the children’s hospice Shooting Star CHASE, Hillingdon Young Carers and AgeUK Hillingdon.

Tenner Tycoon is one of several projects which have taken place under the Young Dragons Enterprise Society banner at college. Profits from these, which have also included a Halloween event and a raffle, resulted in £240 being donated to the Mayor.

The Tenner Tycoon winners – those who made the most profit - consisted of three Health and Social Care students who made £60 from selling international foods. Erika Hernandez, 18, Siloshini Sivabalan, 19, and Shukria Mahamud, 21, received £100 cash as their prize.

The runner-up was Emily Lawes who sold wooden cutlery she had decorated herself, generating £52. She won £50 vouchers.

Sharon McCann, from Student Support, who oversaw the Tenner Tycoon activities, said: “This has been a real success particularly as it has attracted teams from all over the college, not just business students - young people from performing arts, engineers and foundation studies were among those taking part. I was also very impressed by how creative the students were in coming up with such a wide range of ideas.”

Runner up Emily said: “This competition was great fun but challenging at times – I have really learned a lot from producing and selling my own items.”

Tenner Tycoon was part of Global Enterprise Week and launched with the help of the student enterprise organisation NACUE, which has supported the Young Dragons financially and held a number of Tenner Tycoon seminars.