A TEAM of community-minded youngsters have been praised by Barrow and Furness MP, John Woodcock, after dedicating their time to clearing up an area of natural beauty.

During a litter pick held at the end of August, Mr Woodcock spoke with the young people and commended their efforts in removing dozens of bags of beach litter from the shoreline. The event was planned by the youngsters as part of their work on the National Citizen Service (NCS) scheme run by Inspira in Barrow.

Mr Woodcock said: “I’ve been so impressed with the community spirit of the young people who’ve taken part in the NCS programme over the summer. They’ve shown ingenuity and dedication to improving the area around them and clearly learnt highly valuable planning and teamwork skills that will serve the well in the future.

“It was great that they chose a much-needed beach clean as one of their projects and I’m glad the weather turned out well for them.

“In our discussion at their lunch break I was stressing what a difference young people can make on the issues they care about if they choose to get involved. That counts whether it is campaigning for changes locally or voting in national elections, where an increase in turn-out from young people could make all the difference to who runs the country.”

The NCS is a government-backed programme managed and delivered by Inspira in Cumbria, Lancashire, Blackpool, Blackburn, Darwen and Fylde Coast. It was established in 2011 to tackle issues of social cohesion, social engagement and social mobility.

So far 200,000 young people have benefited from taking part from the two- or three-week programme. Participants aged 16 and 17 build skills for work and life, while taking on new challenges and adventures, making new friends, and contributing to their community.