TEENAGERS waiting to start college are taking part in a summer project that encourages young citizens to be more active in the community.

The National Citizen Service, run locally by Cirencester College, is a programme for 16- and 17-year-olds to spend four weeks engaging in team building and social action activities.

At the college, 61 pupils from across Gloucestershire and Wiltshire volunteered to be part of the scheme.

A team of 16 teenagers called The Dragons spent the first two weeks from July 4 windsurfing, paddle boarding, kayaking, ‘giant surfboarding’, team building and developing leadership skills.

Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard:

(Students on the National Citizen Service project cooking s'mores)

The last two weeks were dedicated to social action projects.

The team raised £442 for the British Heart Foundation through a sponsored bag pack at Tesco, and £140 for the Royal National Institution for the Blind with an eight-hour sponsored sight deprivation where five students were blindfolded and had carers for the day.

They helped out at Barton House senior citizens home in Watermoor Road Cirencester, restoring their grounds and putting on entertainment for the residents.

The team also chose to volunteer at Cirencester Open Air Pool, help maintain vegetation at North Cerney Primary School, and litter pick at a park for Cirencester Town Council.

Malcolm Sharpe, NCS leader of the team, said: “I'm very proud of the fantastic efforts of the Dragons NCS team from Cirencester College.

“Children get a bad press all the time, but this highlights that children are out there doing things.

“You have the Xbox kids who sit at home during the school holiday, but these kids do a lot of things to broaden their horizons and contribute to the community.”