Sasha cooks up sweet treats for Dragons panel

Sasha Perkins, 25, a former North Yorkshire care leaver, shone at the Meet-the-Dragons event after turning to the county council for help.

Inspired by her gran whose pet name was Nula, Sasha, who has a five year old son Alfie, is hoping to run “the ultimate sweet-treats” artisan business called Nula’s Fancies from a specially bespoke van travelling around markets and festivals.

Realising there are others like Sasha with entrepreneurial ideas, the council’s new Leaving Care Opportunities Team joined forces with the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Enterprise Partnership to find mentors in the local business community.

The council hopes the event will encourage other care leavers who are thinking of setting up their own business. It is offering a discretionary payment of up to £2,500 for start-up costs, in consultation with mentors, for ideas that are taken forward.

Sasha said: “I am doing this for my little boy and to show him that you can make a success of your life no matter what. I am so happy to have the support of the dragons with their advice and contacts. Most of all I want to tell everyone like myself to keep going and never give up.”