‘Starting with just £50 of seed funding, pupils at Victoria Infant & Nursery School, Barrow raised £400 for the Furness Homeless Shelter.

The children, aged six and seven, achieved this by creating and running their own social enterprise over just eight weeks. The pupils worked as a team to develop a business idea, build a brand, create a product and sell it, experiencing every stage of running a real business.

They named the business the ‘Beautiful Bags Squad’, after the class voted on both the company name and logo. Every child contributed ideas and designs. The chosen product was a branded tote bag featuring the inspiring message to “Dream Big.”

Together, the pupils generated over £800 in profit, donating over £400 of this to local charity, Furness Homeless Shelter.

The pupils were also recognised for their creativity, receiving the Best Marketing & Logo Award, competing against other schools in the Bright Stars programme across Cumbria.

The activity came as part of the Bright Stars programme, which gives young children the opportunity to develop real-world skills in a fun, engaging environment. McLaughlin & Harvey was involved as part of its social value commitment. Our client, BAE Systems Ltd, sponsored the programme.

Throughout the programme, pupils developed:

• • • teamwork and communication skills
    • creativity and problem-solving
    • confidence and decision-making
    • an understanding of enterprise and community impact

Throughout the programme, McLaughlin & Harvey employees volunteered time to mentor pupils, share business knowledge and encourage teamwork, creativity and confidence. All done while introducing young people to the positive role businesses can play within their communities.

The Bright Stars programme reflects McLaughlin & Harvey’s commitment to creating lasting social value by supporting the communities in which we work, developing essential life skills and inspiring future generations.

“We have absolutely loved our time working with Victoria Infant & Nursery School on the Bright Stars Programme.

It has been a fantastic opportunity to build lasting relationships with the school, teachers and pupils, while bringing colleagues from across McLaughlin & Harvey together to share their skills and support the next generation.

Seeing the children’s confidence grow, alongside the positive impact they’ve made in their local community, has been incredibly rewarding.”

Morgan McLeod, Social Value Project Lead
McLaughlin & Harvey

“I just wanted to take a moment to say a huge thank you [to McLaughlin & Harvey] for your commitment to the Bright Stars programme and for the fantastic work you have recently completed with Victoria Infant and Nursery School.

It’s brilliant to see how the Beautiful Bags Squad social enterprise came to life with the pupils. Supporting children at such an early stage to develop creativity, teamwork, and confidence through enterprise is fantastic and will leave a lasting impression on the children.”

Dr Claire Johnson, Primary Programme Manager
Centre for Leadership Performance