The High Sheriff Awards, which recently set their sights on rewarding deserving young people in the community, has deemed Shildon-based St John’s Youthy worthy of recognition.
The youth group was presented with a High Sheriff Shrievalty Award as a token of recognition and appreciation for their services to adolescents in the community, helping them to overcome their difficult years and evolve into upstanding citizens.
County Durham Foundation chief executive, Barbara Gubbins said: “Inter-generational breakdown is being overcome through the engagement of young people with diverse community groups.
“The judges were very impressed with St John’s Youthy’s application which cited many examples of how young people have supported their local community and how they have combated hardship and turned their lives around to become good citizens.
“Activities include Greener Shildon – a social media campaign to promote the importance of looking after their own community, a Christmas campaign to take gifts to isolated elderly people, and a Christmas bank to deliver artificial trees, gifts and decorations to needy families.
“They have worked tirelessly to look after their local community. Their upstanding citizenship is to be commended.”
Youth development worker at St John’s, Luci Mann (19) said: “We have numerous youth groups. Our biggest is on Sunday evenings in the church. We get about 35 people every week.
“From that large group we have smaller groups such as Team Spirit and Shildon at Night who are the older of the young people, who come up with project ideas to try and make the area that we live in a better place.”
Fellow group member, Lexi Cleasby (15) added: We are thinking of using our award money to develop a tour of Auckland Castle and have to come up with ideas.”
Shildon & District's local community newspaper.
