TWO students from Bournemouth and Poole College were among six young people from across the UK chosen to pitch their business ideas to star of Dragon's Den Peter Jones CBE.

James Struthers, 21, and 17-year-old Kristen Bird both study with the Peter Jones Business Academy and are now waiting to find out if they have won the National Entrepreneur of the Year award.

James pitched his clothing company and Kristen her cake and dessert company at the businessman's Marlow offices in the final stage of judging for the award.

The overall winner will be announced at the academy’s graduation ceremony, to be held at London’s Freemasons’ Hall in July, and will receive funding of up to £5,000.

Speaking after the pitch, James said: “It was an incredible experience - I think I’ve got a decent chance of winning. I was nervous to begin with but once I got into the flow of things it all went really well.”

He explained that his company strives to determine each customer’s individual style and then produces a garment tailored to their look and fit.

Kristen added: "The whole experience was amazing. The judges made me feel really relaxed and they seemed really impressed with my business. The next month is going to be a long wait but I'm really excited about hearing the result."

Run by the Peter Jones Foundation, the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy is a network of colleges that deliver courses in enterprise and entrepreneurship.

To get to the last round, applicants had to submit detailed business and financial plans outlining their ideas, their progress so far and their hopes for the future.

Peter Jones Foundation Chief Executive Officer Alice Barnard said: "I was extremely impressed by the calibre of pitches delivered. The students presented a selection of very interesting ideas and showed us a great deal of potential. It’s inspiring to see them taking what they’ve learned with the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy and using their skills to launch some really exciting businesses.

"Picking a winner has been very tough, but we’ve done it and we’re looking forward to announcing who it is at our graduation ceremony."