A youth scheme has been awarded thousands of pounds by police, fire fighters and councillors to steer troubled youngsters towards a more positive life.

Pride Youth Project in Stevenage was given �4,900 by Herts in Trust – the Herts Constabulary and Herts Fire and Rescue Service charity and Herts County Councillors Phil Bibby, Matthew Hurst and Christine Hurst from their locality budgets. The project runs 15-day programmes for 11 to 16-year-olds in association with schools, youth offending teams and social services tackling issues around drugs, alcohol and weapons, sexual health, behaviour management, gang crime, money skills and careers advice.

Project manager Hayley Sherwood said the money will help change lives: “It will help us to continue our work enabling teenagers who have either got into trouble in the past or have been excluded from school to become aware of their current lifestyles, the potential negative consequences of some of their actions and to ultimately help them make wiser choices for the future.”