THIRTEEN teenagers from March and surrounding areas have devised community-spirited events as part of a four-week programme intended to help them volunteer.

Cambs Times: THIRTEEN teenagers from March and surrounding areas have devised community-spirited events as part of a four-week programme intended to help them volunteer. Here they are running a cake stall.THIRTEEN teenagers from March and surrounding areas have devised community-spirited events as part of a four-week programme intended to help them volunteer. Here they are running a cake stall. (Image: Archant)

The teenagers have raised £180 through a cake sale on March marketplace to raise money, hosted a disco at FACET for 34 adults with learning disabilities, and used their negotiation skills to arrange a clean-up project near West End Park by contacting Fenland District Council Street Pride.

Cambs Times: THIRTEEN teenagers from March and surrounding areas have devised community-spirited events: they were also given a tour of Fenland Hall by the Mayor, Cllr Andrew Pugh and others.THIRTEEN teenagers from March and surrounding areas have devised community-spirited events: they were also given a tour of Fenland Hall by the Mayor, Cllr Andrew Pugh and others. (Image: Archant)

The project is a government initiative called National Citizen Service that aims to inspire 16 and 17 year olds to make an impact on their local community. Participants spend two weeks away from home where they go to Eaton Vale, an outdoor activity centre in Norwich and then a school in Spalding, where they build up their skills by meal planning, budgeting, shopping, cooking and cleaning.

Cambs Times: THIRTEEN teenagers from March and surrounding areas have devised community-spirited events as part of a four-week programme intended to help them volunteer.THIRTEEN teenagers from March and surrounding areas have devised community-spirited events as part of a four-week programme intended to help them volunteer. (Image: Archant)

Events to come are a ‘Cheese Club’, a holiday club for 6 - 12 year olds to learn cooking skills, craft and drama, which will be held on Wednesday 28th August.

Sienna Morris, 16, from March said: “NCS is a chilling realisation of what young people really can achieve. It has enabled me to take Cheese Club, my social action project, and turn it into a reality, making me feel like I can really make a difference.”

Similarly, some teenagers are hosting a bingo afternoon on Wednesday August 28 at Morton Avenue with Roddon’s Housing Association. Another group is planning a fashion show using outfits from local charity shops to encourage younger people to buy from charity shops.

During NCS, the group also managed to visit Fenland Hall for a meeting with Cllr Andrew Pugh the Mayor of March, Cllr Jan French and Cllr Rob Skoulding.

National Citizen Service is being delivered in and around March by 20Twenty Productions, a local youth arts organisation, in association with Young Lives and Reed In Partnership.

It will run again for 17 year olds in the October half term. You can sign up at www.ncseast.co.uk or by calling Young Lives on 01480 494333.