CITIZENSHIP and community projects carried out by youngsters in Wyre Forest have been celebrated during a special event.

About 120 people attended the event, which brought together civic dignitaries, representatives of the emergency services, primary schools and seven high schools from Wyre Forest and Hagley.

It took place at Kidderminster College and started off as an awards evening, with prizes being given to primary schools for their participation in various projects throughout the school year.

The event was organised by the ContinU Trust, West Mercia Police and Safer Wyre Forest Partnership.

The annual young citizen’s challenge shield, presented by the police, fire and ambulance services as well as Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA) and British Red Cross, was won by St Oswald’s Primary School.

St Mary’s Primary School was awarded a prize for a Kick It Out anti-racism poster competition, St Ambrose’s Catholic Primary School won for its junior Neighbourhood Watch project and Sutton Park Community Primary School collected a certificate for its alien crash-landing project, which encouraged pupils to write witness statements for police.

The event continued with presentations by Baxter College, The Bewdley School and Sixth Form Centre, King Charles I School, Stourport High School and VIth Form Centre, Wolverley Secondary School, Haybridge High School, Forest Oak Short Stay School and Kidderminster College.

Each showcased work students had done for local communities and local and international charities since September last year, including providing lunches for elderly people, food collections, volunteer gardening and St John Ambulance volunteer work.

ContinU Trust collaboration co-ordinator, Michael Conroy-Harris, said: “It was fantastic to see the range of activity and obvious enthusiasm. This kind of celebration is definitely something we want to support, with our partners, in coming years.”

Wyre Forest District Council chairman, Fran Oborski, added: “It was inspirational to be celebrating the fantastic citizenship achievements of young people across the district.”