Students at Shireland CBSO Academy raised over £300 after selling handmade products at this year’s Sandwell Valley Dog Fair, marking a successful public debut for their student-run business, Happiness is Handmade.
The Enterprise Club, made up of nine students aged 11 to 14 and supported by teachers, designed, created and sold a range of products including keyrings, pens, guitar picks, coasters, bookmarks, portable games and customisable dog tags.
The group has been developing the business since July 2025, when it began as an after-school enterprise club. With a £400 start-up loan from the Principal, students established their brand, created a logo, launched an Etsy shop and produced materials for their official launch in September 2025.
Since then, the team has met weekly to design, test and refine their products, learning through trial and error while developing skills in marketing, budgeting and product development. To date, they have sold more than 130 items, many of them bespoke and made to order.
David Green, Principal at Shireland CBSO Academy, said: “What stood out most from the day was the confidence with which our students represented themselves and the Academy. They engaged with customers professionally, spoke with real understanding about the products they had created and supported one another throughout.
“That does not happen by chance. It reflects the time, care and commitment they have invested over many months, alongside the opportunity to take genuine ownership of what they are doing. In doing so, they begin to see themselves differently, as confident and capable young people, and that shift in mindset is just as important as the skills they are developing.”
The Sandwell Valley Dog Fair provided the first large-scale public platform for Happiness is Handmade, following its soft launch within the school. The Crufts-style event in West Bromwich featured agility demonstrations, a dog show with 16 categories including Best in Show, and a busy market of local businesses and charities.
Funds raised at the event will be reinvested into the business to support further product development, with plans already underway to expand the product range and explore additional opportunities and events to sell their products.
