Pride in their streets!

young people and staff of the Greenacres and Derker Youth Inclusion Project

HARD work in the Derker community has paid off with a Pride in Oldham nomination.

Young people and workers at the Greenacres and Derker Youth Inclusion Project have been working with Streetscene, First Choice Homes and the Friends of Stoneleigh Park to improve the area where they live.

Over the summer, an army of helpers volunteered to clean up the streets and plant beautiful new borders, helped by a £2,500 grant from the First Choice Homes’ Respect Our Community Award scheme.

The project was nominated by Angela Cosgrove, from the Friends of Stoneleigh Park which came up with the idea of the 12-week improvement scheme. Angela said: “It was really good seeing the young people doing something to benefit the community.

“They took part in a timetable over the summer and they had a great time. And it really broke down barriers between the young people and the older ones.

“Before, they were just seen as hoodies but now people can see that there are good young people out there.”

Youth crime-prevention project officer Kay Jewitt, who runs the group with help from Safir Rafiq and James Fleming, was stunned to be nominated for the award.

She said: “I’m shocked to be nominated. I really can’t believe it — we’ve never been nominated before.

“We have done a lot of good work in the Derker area and we get an average of 15 young people down for each project.

“It would be fantastic to win an award.”

The group has also produced pieces of artwork and taken part in litter picks.