Gym-goers could soon be bulking up on freshly baked goods after a team of young entrepreneurs won £1,000 to make their idea a reality.

Business students at the University of West London (UWL) claim their range of nutrient-rich cookies, cakes and other treats are a tastier, more natural alternative to the protein shakes and bars consumed by fitness fanatics.

Charlotte Brazil, 25, Pavindeep Dosanjh, 20, and Nik Azri, 20, triumphed in the final of the Brentford Dragons competition, held at the university's Paragon building, in Brentford, on Wednesday (April 22).

The co-founders of Healthy Snacks saw off competition from three other fledgling firms as they pitched to a panel of four business leaders in the contest organised by Brentford Chamber of Commerce and based on the format of BBC show Dragons' Den.

They won £1,000 and mentoring from local business gurus to develop their idea after appealing to the judges' stomachs by handing out samples of their dark chocolate and banana cookies, packed with muscle-building protein.

Other ideas on the night included a new social networking site solely for students, a remote-controlled lock and an executive desk with inbuilt technology.

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The winners' success was made more remarkable by the fact they were runners-up in their heat and only made it through to the final when another team withdrew at the eleventh hour, giving them less than three days to perfect their winning presentation.

Ms Brazil started making the snacks at home to keep her going after taking up boxing five years ago, but she said she only recently realised their business potential.

"We're thrilled to win and can't wait to get baking and hopefully persuade local gyms and health centres to stock our products so many more people can enjoy them," she added.

Judge Eric Jafari, chief executive of Urban Villa, told the winners: "One of the biggest reasons you won is because we got to taste the product."

He even expressed an interest in stocking the team's goods at his company's serviced apartments in Brentford.

The other finalists were:

  • Elias Kokkinos, whose SMART Executive Desk with inbuilt technology puts all the office essentials, from a printer to teleconferencing facilities, at your fingertips
  • Mobolaji 'JayJay' Fakorede and Daniel Frische, who described their social networking site Unitouch as an alternative to Facebook, allowing students to keep their party antics and their academic work strictly separate
  • Jason Clemens and his business partner Jordan, whose product LockiTech allows owners to control access to their property using a mobile app

The judges on the evening were Mr Jafari, My Plumber director Angela Lyons-Redman, director of My Plumber; Harry Scrope, managing director of Brompton Bike Hire; and Suzie Betlem, president of Brentford Chamber of Commerce.

The event was compèred by Deborah Hall and transport to the venue was laid on by RedRoutemaster, which hires out the iconic buses from its base in Brentford.

This was the second year the Brentford Dragons contest has taken place. Last year's winning product was a bra which doubles as a handbag, created by three UWL students.