YOUNG entrepreneur Rachel Matthews is helping launch a unique nationwide competition after making £1,400 from a £10 note.

The 14-year-old Poole schoolgirl is appearing in a video to mark the start of a competition designed to develop enterprise skills in pupils.

Youngsters across the UK are invited to sign up online to take part in Young Enterprise’s Tenner, which challenges pupils to be creative with a donated £10 and generate as much money as possible in a month.

In May, Rachel from Parkstone Grammar School used her Tenner to buy a T-shirt and flyers to promote her piano planning events at the RNLI College.

Rachel, whose five times great-grandfather was on the first ever lifeboat crew in the region said: “I played the piano every day at the RNLI to help raise money for the RNLI by collecting donations and playing requests.

“It was quite nerve-racking at first but I raised enough money to train a crew member and kit out the crew member as well.”

She also raised money with a Skype performance after an online auction and played to a couple in Wales and their five dogs. But by the end the dogs had disappeared. “I don’t think they liked my playing,” she said. “I’d definitely recommend Tenner to anyone, it’s so much fun.”

Poole volunteer coxswain Jonathan Clark said: “Rachel is an inspiration, giving up her time and coming up with such a genius fundraising idea. Her tutor must be pleased with all her practice.’’ Teacher John Scopes from Parkstone Grammar said: “Tenner is an opportunity for students to get out of the classroom and put into practice some of the things that they’ve learnt. If they are successful they get to keep all the profits they make or give them to a really good cause.”

Registration for schools is at Tenner.org.uk. Entries close on Friday February 28 2014, with the competition running from Monday March 3 until Monday March 31 2014.