When the doors opened for the Birmingham Adult Education Service’s Enterprise Project in July 2026, the energy in the room was electric, a powerful celebration of creativity, practical ambition, and community spirit.
Designed to bridge the gap between classroom skills and real-world entrepreneurship, the end-of-year show gave learners the hands-on experience of pricing, marketing, and selling their own creations. Over the academic year, learners across floristry, jewellery, and art classes poured their passion into crafting unique, handmade products, preparing to launch them to fellow learners and the public at the bustling Brasshouse Centre inside the Library of Birmingham.
Learners were provided with a small budget for materials to use when constructing their handmade items. However, with big ideas and a limited budget, they had to get creative. Using items donated to them or found around the home, their products transformed into truly unique items to sell.
Lisa Pugh, Community Learning Programme Manager, expressed, “It was amazing to set the challenge for the learners and see what they created. They adapted their ideas, thought outside the box, and worked hard to raise as much money as possible for the children’s hospital. Everyone worked brilliantly as a team, and the atmosphere in the room was electric as the money started to roll in. Seeing the smiles on the learners’ faces was priceless when they realised how quickly their items were selling. Their enthusiasm, creativity, and determination were inspiring, and they should be extremely proud of what they achieved together.”
The celebration extended far beyond the marketplace, sweeping into one of the city’s most legendary cultural venues, The Rep. Taking to the stage, textile learners dazzled the audience in a full fashion show, proudly stepping into the spotlight to model the garments and outfits they had carefully designed and constructed throughout the year. Every angle of the day was captured through the lenses of the photography learners, who acted as the official media crew to document the magic, while floristry students provided the perfect finishing touches with stunning, bespoke stage arrangements. Behind every seamlessly run detail was a dedicated team of BAES staff, who joined forces to deliver an unforgettable event that truly honoured student achievement.
Anne Gallagher, Community Learning Programme Manager, who helped organise the event, said, “It was amazing to see our learners fully engaged in the enterprise projects, from taking part in discussions around pricing and budgeting to confidently and proudly selling their products at the exhibition.”
The spirit of enterprise was matched only by the spirit of giving. Before the event even began, learners were tasked with deciding which charity would benefit from the sales. Together, they made the collective decision that every single penny raised from their hard work should go directly to Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
Just before the October half-term, Dale Harries from the Birmingham Children’s Hospital visited the Erdington Centre for a special presentation, meeting with the floristry learners who had taken part in the show to formally present them with a cheque for £745.18, a brilliant total collectively raised by the students.
Dale expressed,“A huge thank you for the kind donation and support. As a charity, we rely solely on donations, and so we are so lucky we have such a supportive community.”
Anne also added, “The real highlight was seeing them present the cheque to the representative from Birmingham Children’s Hospital. It was such a proud and rewarding moment, showcasing not only the learners’ hard work, creativity and teamwork, but also the positive impact they can make within our community. Moments like these remind us why we do what we do and make us incredibly proud of our learners and the service we provide.”
After such a great success with the 2026 event, we cannot wait to see what the learners will develop for the 2027 end-of-year show. The skills, talent, and passion of our learners are not only enriching themselves but also making a lasting impact on our Birmingham community.
