Belmont Pupils Celebrate Entrepreneurial Success, Bolton 2026

Key Points

• Belmont Community Primary School in Bolton hosted the finale of an eight-week pupils’ enterprise project called “Start Your Own Business”.
• The project was devised, delivered and personally funded by Naomi Scholfield, a Bolton accountant and business owner.
• Naomi provided every Year 5 and 6 pupil with start-up investment, guidance and must-have resources, running the scheme free of charge.
• Over the summer term, children developed business ideas, carried out real market research, built business plans, calculated costs and pricing and pitched for investment in a Dragons’ Den-style session.
• The pupils then ran their businesses at the school summer fair, recorded results and reflected on lessons learned.
• Chairman Sharon Brittan of Bolton Wanderers visited the school on Tuesday morning to hear presentations from four business groups.
• Sharon listened to each pitch, offered feedback and drew on her own career in business and seven years leading Bolton Wanderers.
• Pupils asked questions covering the club, business and life; Sharon talked about following dreams, hard work, courage, honesty and respect.
• Sharon was candid about the highs and lows of any journey and stressed that the club was rebuilt by many people, not one individual.
• A pupil told Sharon she inspires young children; Sharon turned the compliment back and said the class inspired her.
• Naomi said watching the children grow in confidence was the highlight of her year and that Sharon’s visit “meant the world” to them.
• Sharon described the morning as a “real privilege”, praised the children’s engagement and said working with young people is one of the club’s greatest privileges.

Bolton (Manchester Mirror) July 15, 2026 – Belmont Community Primary School became the stage for a rare fusion of classroom learning and real-world business when Chairman Sharon Brittan visited to celebrate a cohort of Year 5 and 6 pupils who had spent the summer term setting up and running their own enterprises. The visit marked the finale of “Start Your Own Business”, an enterprise project devised, delivered and personally funded by uk/local/bolton/">Bolton accountant and business owner Naomi Scholfield, who paid for the children’s start-up investment themselves and ran the project free of charge.

What happened at Belmont Community Primary School on Tuesday?

On Tuesday morning, Chairman Sharon Brittan spent the morning at Belmont Community Primary School listening to four business groups present their work, share the profit they had made and explain the lessons they had drawn from the experience. As reported by the Manchester Mirror, Sharon listened to every pitch and offered feedback and encouragement, drawing on her own career in business and her seven years leading Bolton Wanderers.

Following the presentations, the children put their own questions to Sharon, covering everything from the club to business and life in general. Sharon spoke about the importance of following your dreams and never giving up, of hard work and having the courage to have a go even when things feel daunting, and of staying honest and treating everyone you meet with the same kindness and respect. She was candid, too, about the highs and lows that come with any journey, and about the club being something rebuilt by a great many people rather than any one person.

How did Naomi Scholfield’s “Start Your Own Business” project work?

The enterprise scheme was entirely created and funded by Naomi Scholfield, a Bolton accountant and business owner who has personal experience of building a business from an idea. Over eight weeks of the summer term, the children came up with their own business ideas, carried out market research with real customers, built a business plan, worked out their costs and pricing and pitched for investment in a Dragons’ Den style session. They then ran their businesses for real at the school summer fair earlier this month, before returning to class to go through their results and reflect on what had worked.

Naomi said:

“Watching these children grow in confidence over the past eight weeks has been the highlight of my year. They have worked incredibly hard, and to have Sharon come in and hear how they got on meant the world to them. Many of them are Wanderers supporters and having someone who has built something real in their own community take the time to listen to their ideas and answer their questions is something they will remember for the rest of their lives. I am so grateful to Sharon and to Bolton Wanderers for making today so special.”

What did Sharon Brittan say about the pupils and the club?

Sharon added:

“To spend the morning with these children was a real privilege. Every group had thought carefully about their idea, done the hard work and could tell me exactly what they had learned along the way. Their engagement was wonderful to see and they asked me some brilliant questions. They are a credit to Naomi, to their teachers and to their school.”

“Running a business teaches you skills that stay with you for life. Courage, resilience, working as a team and the confidence to believe in your own ideas. If today gives even one of them the belief to follow their own idea one day, it will have been worth every minute. Working with our community, and with young people in particular, is one of the greatest privileges this club gives me and I came away inspired by every one of them.”

Perhaps the most memorable moment came right at the end, when one of the pupils told Sharon that she inspires young children. In keeping with her style, Sharon turned the compliment straight back to the class, telling them it was they who had inspired her.

Why is this development significant for local education and the community?

The project demonstrates how a local business owner can fill gaps in school enterprise provision by designing a fully funded, hands-on curriculum that mirrors real business practice. By giving pupils real start-up investment and requiring them to carry out market research with real customers, the scheme moves beyond理论 into authentic economic activity within a controlled environment.

For Bolton Wanderers, the visit underlines the club’s commitment to community engagement beyond football matches. Sharon’s presence and her emphasis on the club being rebuilt by many people reflect a broader narrative of shared responsibility and collective achievement, which resonates with local audiences who see the club as a civic asset rather than merely a sports team.

How might this model influence future school enterprise projects?

If schools and local businesses see the measurable benefits in pupil confidence, numeracy, communication and teamwork, there is potential for similar projects to be replicated across Bolton and beyond. The fact that Naomi Scholfield funded the initiative herself highlights both the capacity of local entrepreneurs to support education and the possible need for structured funding routes that could make such schemes more sustainable.

Community partnerships like this could also encourage other clubs, councils and businesses to develop their own enterprise programmes tailored to local priorities, from sustainability and green jobs to digital skills and social entrepreneurship.

Background: The development of pupils’ enterprise at Belmont Community Primary School

The “Start Your Own Business” project was conceived and delivered by Naomi Scholfield, a Bolton-based accountant and business owner, who personally funded the entire scheme and provided every pupil with start-up investment. The initiative ran over eight weeks during the summer term and targeted Year 5 and 6 pupils at Belmont Community Primary School. Children were required to develop their own business ideas, conduct market research with real customers, produce business plans, calculate costs and pricing, and pitch for investment in a Dragons’ Den-style session.

The pupils then operated their businesses at the school summer fair earlier in July, recorded sales and expenses, and later reflected on what had worked and what had not. Chairman Sharon Brittan of Bolton Wanderers attended the finale on Tuesday morning to hear presentations from four business groups, listen to pupils’ questions and offer feedback based on her own career in business and her seven years leading the club.

The development was covered by the Manchester Mirror, which reported Sharon’s comments on the importance of following dreams, hard work, courage, honesty and respect, as well as her candid remarks about the highs and lows of any journey and the collective nature of rebuilding the club. Naomi Scholfield described the children’s growth in confidence as the highlight of her year, while Sharon highlighted the morning as a “real privilege” and stressed that working with young people is one of the club’s greatest privileges.

Prediction: How this development can affect pupils, families and the wider Bolton community

For the pupils involved, the experience is likely to have a lasting impact on confidence, self-belief and understanding of how ideas can become real businesses. The combination of planning, market research, financial calculation and public pitching builds skills that are transferable to future academic work, vocational training and potential entrepreneurship. Children who previously saw business as something only adults do may now consider starting their own ventures or pursuing careers in finance, management or innovation.

For families and the wider Bolton community, the project signals that local businesses and institutions such as Bolton Wanderers are investing in the next generation in tangible ways. This can strengthen community trust in the club and in local entrepreneurs, encouraging more partnerships between schools, businesses and civic organisations. In the longer term, such initiatives may help cultivate a more entrepreneurial culture in Bolton, where young people feel supported to test ideas, learn from failure and contribute to local economic development.