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Enterprising students hold Christmas market

Enterprising students at the Christmas MarketHandmade crafts and gifts were on offer at a Student Christmas Market which kicked off the festive season at ¾«¶«´«Ã½ recently.  Over 80 enterprising students took part in the event,  which attracted over 500 visitors and was organised by the B-Enterprising Project .

Among the products on sale were cakes, jewellery, handmade crafts and Christmas gifts, books, handmade one-off clothes, handmade hats and scarves and ‘design your own’ truffles.  There were also raffles, ‘guess the weight of the cake,’ dance classes and tickets for charity events. ‘A Christmas atmosphere’ was created  with live music provided by volunteering students bands and musicians, including ‘9 to 5 brass,’ a 5 piece brass band; ‘Gimme Fiction,’ a two piece band with Ben Smith and Matt Pike; and Tom Cole, a solo singer/ guitarist.

Many Student societies took part, including ¾«¶«´«Ã½ Business & Enterprise Society, RAG, Amnesty International, Students for Treborth Action Group, the Women’s Society and the Geography Society.

Local Social Enterprise  groups also attended, to raise awareness of business with social and environmental responsibility, and many student stalls donated a percentage of their profits to charity.  The charities set to benefit from profits made include the Alzheimer’s Society, Llanberis Mountain Rescue, Greenhouse, Friends of Treborth Botanical Gardens, World Aids Day, Welsh Air Ambulance, TÅ· Gobaith Children’s Hospice Society, Marine Conservation Society.

The event enabled students to be entrepreneurs for the day in a safe, risk free environment, and gave them the opportunity to test the market for their goods and services.

Lynn Goodhew, Head of the Careers and Employability Service said: “Not only did the budding entrepreneurs raise monies for their goods, they also donated a portion of their profits to a charitable cause of their choice. So, monies were raised for good causes while gaining experience of a whole range of skills in producing and selling goods, and most importantly though through participating in an event that was fun and festive. “

The Careers and Employability Service wish to thank the following companies for prizes donated:

Snowdon Mountain Railway – family return trip up Snowdon Railway, Fat Cat Café Bar – meal for 2, Cae Gors bakery – local cakes and pastries, Londis Nefyn – Fruit hamper, Maes Glas – month’s free use of the facilities, Halen Môn / Anglesey Sea Salt - £10 voucher, Toffoc  - 2 bottles of Toffoc, Blue Sky Café – £10 vouchers, Y Galeri, Caernarfon – 4 tickets to the cinema, Dimensions – Health food gift set,  Subway – 6 foot Sub. The Careers staff also donated items to make the first prize of a large Christmas Hamper, which contained festive treats.

Watch highlights of the event on

Publication date: 14 December 2010