Mansfield students get chance to show off their business skills at pop-up shop in Four Seasons Shopping Centre

Year 11 students from The Brunts Academy will be taking over the First Art shop in Four Seasons Shopping Centre.

The two-day event, on February 15 and 16, is part of the young people’s volunteering programme, Takeover, which aims to foster the creative talents of young people.

Since October 2022, Takeover has been mentoring the youngsters, aged 15 and 16, on the programme, and now they will be bringing art and business together for this one-off event.

With support from First Art, the students will put their creative skills on display featuring a diverse range of their own products, including music, merchandise, a bakery, a gaming hub and hobby shop.

The shop will be open to members of the public over the two days between 11am and 4pm, where they will be able purchase goods and be able to interact with the other initiatives.

This hands-on project offers a realworld business experience for the students to showcase their abilities, with the pop-up shop being devised and delivered entirely by young people from Mansfield.

Laura Solly, academy arts teacher and Takeover facilitator, said: “Takeover has been a fantastic opportunity for our Year 11s, by allowing them to pursue a passion of theirs, whether that be music, art, poetry or baking and developing these into small businesses.

“Pupils have even gathered advice and feedback from local business owners to support their enterprise projects.

“Running the shop is a wonderful opportunity for pupils to display their talents to the public and get experience in retail and business.”