August 2011

Young people making a difference on local beaches      

National Citizen Service group works with Royal National Lifeboat Institution to keep local beaches clean and tidy.

15 young people have been working with Sunderland AFC to make a real difference in their community. The group is working alongside the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) to keep the local beaches clean and well maintained, with tasks such as beach combing, litter picking and painting railings. Their hope is that this project will benefit all people who live in Sunderland and the surrounding coastal areas.

NCS Sunderland with the RNLIThey will also be assisting as marshalls at the RNLI Summer run, as well as volunteering for the RNLI annual open day. During this time they will be raising awareness of issues such as the dangers of "tombstoning", by working on information stalls with posters that they have produced.

This image shows the group participating in a two day course ran by the RNLI.

The feedback from the young people has been tremendous and some of the young people now want to become trained lifeguards and volunteer with the service.