Teenagers survived an out-of-this-world encounter to prove they had a head for business and could make the world a better place at the same time.

Finalists in the Angels' Den competition - a twist on the hit BBC business show Dragons' Den - at St Matthew's Church, Marlborough Road, Oxford, all came out with something to show for their entrepreneurial spirit.

The idea for the contest was the brainchild of three businessmen who attend the church and were on hand on Sunday to evaluate the ideas. These 'angels' put up money to help the youngsters examine some of the eternal questions of capitalism.

One of the organisers, Martin Morse, said: "In some ways this was a contrast to Dragons' Den, in which it sometimes seems that the judges concentrate only on money-making."

The finalists, all from St Matthew's Church Youth Group, included Fairtrade Fashions for Teenagers, by Ruby Lloyd-Shogbesan and Eleanor Ward, and a new rickshaw idea called Oxford Velocipedes, by Chloe Romanis and Nuambi Khuel.

There was also Fairtrade School Dinners, to encourage schools to buy fairtrade food, by Martha Elwell, and Super Hero, a system that encourages a green lifestyle by allocating green points that can eventually be exchanged for goods, by Alex Hague and Mary Broughton.

Alex, 13, who attends Cherwell School, said: "It was a great competition and there were some great ideas. It really got us thinking."

She explained that the green points idea was the opposite of mainstream ideas such as Air Miles, as the scheme would reward people for not flying.

The green points idea was awarded just £10, with another £190 promised when its two inventors signed up their first company to promote the scheme.

Mr Morse said: "We felt it was a great idea, but it needs a little more thought into the details of exactly how it will function in order to make money."

The Fairtrade Fashions for Teenagers idea was awarded £400 to help its inventors on their way to their first fashion show.

The rickshaw concept received £300 for more market research, and the Fairtrade School Dinners received £100, to produce initial samples to help persuade schools to join the scheme.