Enterprising business students got the chance pitch their ideas to Dragons’ Den success story Kirsty Henshaw.

The young entrepreneur was given £65,000 from Dragons Peter Jones and Duncan Bannatyne to develop her range of allergen-free frozen desserts and came to Loreto to inspire other would-be business moguls.

The students were lucky enough to take part in workshops with Kirsty about marketing which gave them the chance come up with new product ideas.
Business Studies teacher Mr Howells said the students had some fantastic suggestions which showed plenty of creativity and business sense.

He added: “Kirsty also gave an inspirational talk to nearly 200 AS and A2 Business Studies students, relating her personal story of determination triumphing over adversity, followed by an extensive question and answer session on everything from the business structure of her company, to plans for the future of the brand and even the ins and outs of her deal with the Dragons.”

24 year-old Kirsty came up with the idea for an alternative to ordinary ice cream after her son Jacob, now four, was diagnosed with dairy and nut allergies. She bought a £30 ice cream maker and began work in the kitchen of her one-bedroom flat.

She impressed Dragons’ Den with a fluent pitch in an episode aired earlier this year. Her product has now been rebranded as Freedom and is being stocked in major supermarkets.