A GROUP of budding entrepreneurs have been celebrating after they raised an amazing £4,500 for a memorial garden at their school.

The youngsters from Lytchett Minster School all took part in the Tenner Challenge’, which sees pupils challenged to make £10 into £150.

However there were a couple of students who far succeeded the £150 mark - with one student, Oliver Lamb, raising more than

£1,500.

Thirteen-year-old Ollie organised a scooter jam and fun day at Prevail Skatehouse earlier this month and in total raised an incredible £1,672.

Year 7 pupil Scarlett Godfrey raised £333 through car washing and card selling and Year 10 pupil Oliver Spencer also raised £300 by selling off-cuts of rugs and mats.

Other pupils organised cake sales, set up a cleaning service in their local area and also a pet feeding business.

In total the youngsters raised £4,700 through the challenge and all the proceeds will go towards the Post Green Road school's sunken garden project.

The outdoor area for students will be built at the site of a former swimming pool and will include a memorial garden honouring

beloved teacher Christine Peggrem and former pupil Ed Kent.

Ms Peggrem, who taught maths at Lytchett Minster School, died aged 52 in November last year just weeks after being diagnosed with bowel cancer and Ed Kent died from an asthma attack in November 2015, at the age of 13.

It is expected to cost around £40,000 to complete - with most of the money being raised by the PTA.

However headteacher Andrew Mead wanted to give the pupils an opportunity to contribute to the project, which is where the idea of the tenner challenge came from.

Speaking to the Echo he said: "I just thought it would be nice if the students could do something for the garden.

"They have seen the plans around school and the designs for what we want it to look like and I just thought it would be great for them to look back and appreciate the work they put into it once it is complete.

"The tenner challenge has been a huge success and we are now hoping to do it every year.

"It's about having the vision and ingenuity and the drive to see it through which is a great lesson for these youngsters.

"We are all really proud of what they have achieved and we had some fantastic entrepreneurial ideas."

The school's garden has been designed by Chelsea Flower Show winner Nick Williams-Ellis - who also designed the Lytchett Minster School's Secret Garden around 13 years ago.

The sunken garden project is expected to be complete by the end of the summer this year.