BUDDING entrepreneurs unveiled shoe designs for Sunderland Football Club’s mascot as part of a Dragon’s Den style competition.

Sixty children from Rosa Street Primary School in Spennymoor, County Durham, and Cleves Cross Primary School in Ferryhill have been taking part in the Samson’s Shoes programme for the last six weeks.

The project aims to use design technology to teach basic business principles and culminated with a presentation inspired by the popular BBC Two programme, which sees aspiring entrepreneurs given three minutes to pitch their ideas to a panel of millionaires.

Helen Nicholson, assistant head at Rosa Street Primary School, said: “Samson’s Shoes has given the pupils a real life opportunity to apply literacy, numeracy and design and technology skills to a topic that they love.”

The project is delivered by Sunderland AFC’s charity Foundation of Light and is funded in the area by livin, which also hosted the competition at its Durham Gate headquarters.

Sarah Howell, director of community operations at Foundation of Light, said: “The pupils’ presentations were fantastic - well thought out and entertaining – and I’d like to congratulate every youngster who took part today.”