YOUNG entrepreneurs have given a bride and groom a sweet treat for their wedding day.
Next Steps students at Darlington College have designed and built a mobile sweet trolley for couple-to-be Jo Wright, 31 and Elliott Biddle, 32.
The enterprising youngsters were commissioned to make the wedding centrepiece by bride Jo’s mum Ali, a learners’ learning with learning difficulties or disabilities co-ordinator at the college.
“Every year within Next Steps we run an enterprise programme to enable our young people to gain the skills needed to run their own small businesses,” said Ali, of Darlington.
“This year the students, who call themselves Quirky Quafts, decided to create a business designing products to sell to make money for their end of year trip and to donate to various charities.
“I thought it would be a lovely idea to have a sweet trolley at Jo and Elliot’s wedding so I asked Quirky Quafts if they could help and I couldn’t be happier with what they have done.”
With a budget of £150, the team of ten students divided into groups to research, plan, design, build and stock their first large-scale enterprise.
Project manager Shaun Moore, 19, of Darlington, said: “We created a mood board with ideas that we showed to Ali before asking the college’s construction department for some spare wood.
“We then got the motor vehicle body shop students to spray an old metal video cabinet pink before attaching the wooden backboard to make it look like a sweet trolley.
“The team made all of the decorations for the trolley and even created paper sweet bags with a picture of the bride and groom.”
After researching all of the bride’s favourite sweets the Quirky Quafters then stocked the trolley with bowls of love hearts, assorted jellies, boxes of Smarties, candy false teeth, fizzy cola bottles and dozens of lollipop bouquets.
“I think the finished product looks absolutely amazing and is so personal,” added Ali.
“Not only have the students created something that Jo and Elliott will love, they have also learnt so much by doing it.
“They have had to start a business, create a logo, write a business plan, work as a team, speak to suppliers, research costings, liaise with their client; basically everything they would do working for a small company – it has given them great employability skills and we have got a fabulous sweet trolley for Jo’s special day.”
For more information on opportunities at Darlington College visit www.darlington.ac.uk.