YOUNG entrepreneurs from across the county took over Templars Square shopping centre to show off their new businesses including a project to tackle drugs in Blackbird Leys.

Pupils from 14 schools sold a variety of products including water bottles, vinyl clocks, herb growing kits, and contactless card protectors at the Young Enterprise trade fair on Saturday.

The charity runs the scheme to give young people valuable business and life skills.

It wasn't just businesses the teenagers came up with, sixth formers from The Oxford Academy set up Think - a community action group to tackle drugs use and associated crimes in the Blackbird Leys area.

The teenagers have already held a number of workshops, recorded a song, reached more than 200 followers on social media and enlisted Thames Valley Police and Oxford United as sponsors backing their campaign.

Tilesha Holmes, 17, who lives in Blackbird Leys, was one of the pupils who founded the group in September.

She said: "We are a social enterprise trying to raise awareness about drugs in our community.

"There have been a few incidents in the area recently and it's a problem we are all aware of and that's what was behind starting the group."

Another member of the group, Tyrhys Luko, will perform the group's 'Time to Inspire' song at the Kassam Stadium at half time when Oxford United play Bristol Rovers on February 10.

Pupils from Wheatley Park School completely sold out of their 'Marbleous' mugs designed in a variety of colours using nail varnish.

The group sold 30 mugs by lunchtime and had to take orders for the rest of the day.

Nikita Andreevski, 14, said: "It's been great - we have learnt a lot from the experience so far.

"It's shown us teamwork is really important in both making and developing the product and it's certainly given us skills we wouldn't have otherwise gained."

The team of Burford School pupils devised a home grown herbs business which sells ready-to-grow herbs in jars, along with recipe books to incorporate them into meals.

Their 'Jar-den' brand stood out at the fair with the group dressed in green aprons promoting the business.

Alex Reid, 16, said: "We spent a long time on our product initially with a few different ideas but we came back to the idea of a jar and growing herbs, and then added a recipe book.

"I'm studying economics at school but it's the theory side of things and this has given me valuable skills I wouldn't have got in the classroom."