Gavin Williamson, MP for South Staffordshire, joined the National Citizen Service for a tea and coffee morning in Codsall for a tea and coffee morning last week.
Held in St Nicholas’ Church Hall, the event raised money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and Scan, a children's charity in the world focussing on child sponsorship, girls' rights, community development and disaster relief.
Gavin spoke with representatives from the charities for which the team were fundraising to learn more about the experiences of those who live with the disease and with parents and carers and what effect it has on their day to day lives.
In addition to tea and coffee, the volunteers sold cakes that they had made and put on a musical recital and singing session for attendees. So far the group have raised £300 for their chosen charities.
The National Citizen Service is open to all 15 to 17-year-olds across England and Northern Ireland. The scheme takes place outside of term time in Spring, Summer and Autumn. The NCS gives young people the chance to experience adventure, develop their skills and make a difference to their communities.
The first week is spent at an outward bound facility participating in challenging activities, aiming to take young people outside of their comfort zones and develop teamwork skills. In the second week volunteers develop their new skills and finding out more about issues in their local community. The final two weeks of the programme see young people spend 60 hours planning and delivering a social action project that makes a difference in their local community.
Speaking after the event Gavin said: “I was really impressed when I met all these wonderful young people who have given their time to be part of the NCS. It was very clear from speaking to them that they’ve had a brilliant experience as part of the scheme.
“NCS is an original way for young people to develop their interpersonal and community skills and it was great to see so many taking part in this exciting and inspiring programme. I hope that many more young volunteers will take advantage of this positive opportunity in the future”