Helping children at home and abroad is of great importance to a young Kenilworth entrepreneur.

Former Kenilworth School pupil David Birch only set up his Fairtrade clothing business Raid Wear in June, but he has already formed links with a company set up by anti-poverty campaigner and U2 lead singer Bono, as well as universities and rugby clubs in different areas around the UK.

But now the 24-year-old is hoping to work with people in his home town. He said: “Although Kenilworth is a Fairtrade town, there is nobody here who does what I do.

“I would like to work with local businesses. I am Kenilworth born and bred – I have lived here all my life apart from a few years in Huddersfield.”

The Woodmill Meadow resident trained as a fitness instructor at Warwickshire College after leaving school, and he first developed a taste for business when he realised he preferred the sales side of working in the gym.

After working for various companies, this summer he decided to transform his bedroom into an office and develop a business idea that came to him at 2 o’clock one morning – and he has never looked back. Last month he was invited to a ceremony in London after coming second in a national business development of the year award.

Now he donates ten per cent of every sale to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

He said: “You hear such a lot in the news about poverty around the world when there is so much money flying around. Business is business but it’s a case of giving something back.”

Mr Birch recently married his childhood sweetheart Claire, having known her since he was seven after meeting her at Thorns Infants School.

The pair already have plans to mark their first wedding anniversary by carrying out voluntary work in Thailand to help victims of the tsunami disaster in 2004.

Mr Birch said: “Claire took a gap year before she went to university and worked in Botswana. She would love to go back to Africa – it’s something we have discussed.”

Raid Wear also supplies companies with merchandise such as pens, mugs and banners.

www.raidwear.co.uk