YOUNG Huddersfield inventors have been battling it out to win business backing for their creations.

Year 10 pupils from Salendine Nook High School were among 100 West Yorkshire students trying to `sell' their inventions to a panel of six engineers and marketing managers from West Yorkshire engineering firm NG Bailey.

The pupils were attending an event entitled `A Golden Opportunity - Into The Dragon's Lair' at the Thornbury Centre in Bradford.

The event was based on the TV programme Dragon's Den, a new series of which began on BBC2 earlier this month.

On the show, entrepreneurs present their inventions to a panel of five successful tycoons and attempt to persuade them to invest in the product.

At Bradford, the pupils had been asked to make a product which could carry an egg for three metres, using only recycled materials.

As well as making the product prototype, they had to carry out an analysis of its strengths and weaknesses, plus come up with a name and marketing ideas for the invention.

They then had to sell it to the panel from NG Bailey, which organised the event in conjunction with regional development agency Yorkshire Forward and skills development organisation Setpoint West.

Graham Morley, learning and development manager at NG Bailey, said the event had helped young people learn about what is involved in setting up a business.

He said: "It was a great day for the young people, but it wasn't easy.

"They had to be creative and inventive to convince our six business `dragons' to lend them some money to build their product."

The Bradford event was held as part of Enterprise Week earlier this month and aimed to encourage children to turn their ideas into business success.