Dragons slay county high-flyer

[caption id="attachment_75604" align="aligncenter" width="450" caption="Vernon Kerswell in the Dragon's Den"][/caption] Millions of viewers saw Shropshire whizzkid Vernon Kerswell lock horns with a panel of famous multi-millionaire investors as he tried his luck in the Dragons' Den. [caption id="attachment_75604" align="aligncenter" width="450" caption="Vernon Kerswell in the Dragon's Den"][/caption] Millions of viewers saw Shropshire whizzkid Vernon Kerswell lock horns with a panel of famous multi-millionaire investors as he tried his luck in the Dragons' Den. The 21-year-old inventor, from Picklescott, near Shrewsbury, was on the BBC2 show last night to ask for £75,000 of investment in exchange for 15 per cent equity in his business Extreme Fliers Toys. The investors warmed to the Shropshire lad's products with James Caan and Theo Paphitis testing them out in the den. But the entrepreneur, who is lead designer and boss of his firm, left empty-handed after his pitch was derailed by problems over the patenting of his products – twin-rotor remote-controlled helicopter toys. Despite his failure to secure funding, Vernon, who is one of the youngest contestants to appear on the smash-hit show, still hopes to flood the shops with his clever toys in time for Christmas. He demonstrated his newest product, a transforming remote-controlled car and helicopter toy. "The Dragons seemed to enjoy the novelty of my toys including the Apache and Terror Wasp but questioned whether I would be successful in obtaining a patent," he said "The pitch was exciting, walking up the stairs gave me an adrenaline rush. "It lasted about 45 minutes and the Dragons enjoyed the products and were very encouraging." Although former Church Stretton School pupil Vernon walked away with no cash investment, following the show his patents have been confirmed and he said Theo had been in touch to offer ideas and contacts to help with moving the fledgling business forward. He said: "Theo has been in touch with me since filming and has been offering to get involved now the patents have been confirmed." Since filming, Extreme Fliers has undergone rapid growth with confirmed orders worth more than £100,000, he added. Ambitious Vernon, who now lives and works in Manchester where he went to university, said: "I want our products available in every UK town. "Starting a business at a young age gives you a big advantage, I proved it is possible without the Dragons' backing and I want to inspire others to do the same. By Tom Johannsen [caption id="attachment_75606" align="aligncenter" width="449" caption="Vernon explains to the dragons how his products work "][/caption]