A SUMMER holiday sports scheme to help keep youth nuisance at bay is to be launched in Pendle.

Pendle Community Safety summer programmes have just received two cash windfalls from Lancashire County Council.

A £3,000 grant has been awarded from Lancashire's crime and disorder budget towards the summer holiday sports programme run by Pendle Leisure Trust. It will go towards providing what young people in the area have asked for -- free activities during the five weeks summer break from school.

And thanks to the grant from Lancashire County Council, children can now beat the summer holiday blues, playing organised sports from football, basketball, cricket and XR-cade -- the new arcade fitness craze.

A further £9,000 has been given to Youth Works Pendle to support its work with the community in the area for the next year.

The Youth Works Pendle is run by Lancashire County Council's Youth and Community Service and Groundwork Trust. A multi-agency group supports the project including the police, Lancashire's Youth Offending Team, Lancashire's Community Safety Partnership and Pendle Borough Council.

The scheme has been focused at the North Valley Estate, Colne, to reduce crime after it was highlighted four years ago as the third highest ward for juvenile nuisance in the Lancashire Youth Justice audit.

The project has helped reduce juvenile nuisance by 39 per cent, burglary by 51 per cent and drug offences by 91 per cent.

County Councillor Anne Brown, Lancashire's cabinet member for community and partnerships, said: " Young people have been involved in planning this summer holiday project.

"It is what they want and Lancashire County Council have listened to their views.

"It will not only provide activities for young people to learn new skills but it will also help them to deal with many of their emotions including anger management.

"The scheme is an excellent way for youngsters to build up trust and learn team work as well as giving them a sense of empowerment."