Outgoing Pendle Mayor Councillor Brian Newman used one of his last engagements as first citizen to salute youngsters who have transformed green spaces in the borough.

Students on Nelson and Colne College Group’s Choices programme have been learning skills in the open air as they cleaned-up and beautified areas of Marsden and Victoria parks.

Having met a small group of the community champions in his parlour a week previously, the Mayor was 'determined' to visit the rest of their class.

'Choices' is a three day a week programme which aids pupils referred to the college from specialist and mainstream education.

It gives the students who have additional educational needs skills for life and work.

They continue to take qualifications in subjects such as Maths and English and where possible, complete placements at local employers.

On a myriad of community programmes, which have included creating sensory gardens, they have excelled and won the support of older volunteers who have noticed an enormous difference.

One student said: “We have been learning forest skills.

"We were taught to set a fire safely and make toast and have also made wild garlic and nettle fritters.”

The group believes that by setting such a superb example they would encourage other young people to volunteer and make them think twice about dropping litter – a problem that costs the country one billion pounds to deal with each year.

Councillor Brian Newman, who met the students in one of his last acts as Mayor before being succeeded for the upcoming year by Cllr Mohammed Aslam, said: “The young people did a tremendous job.

"Remember, parks are massive and take a lot of looking after and the other volunteers have been full of praise for what they’ve done. 

“Over my mayoral year, I have seen so much good going on in Pendle – we just need to shout about it a bit more.”

Working as part of a team, communicating with each other and members of the community and timekeeping are just some of the vital skills learners acquire as part of the Choices programme.

These will help students in life and contribute to industry and the local economy.