Heather Wheeler MP visited a team of young people taking part in a summer project for the National Citizen Service. 16 young people from John Port, William Allitt and Pingle have been renovating a communal garden and painting and refurbishing a communal play room at a property in Church Gresley. The students have raised over £200 of the £500 needed to complete the work and were keen to talk about their plans. NCS brings together young people from different backgrounds and helps them develop greater confidence, self-awareness and responsibility. It encourages personal and social development by working on skills like leadership, teamwork and communication. Participants develop a social action project to deal with a local issue they’re passionate about, and spend 30 hours putting the project into action in their community. The scheme is growing from strength to strength in South Derbyshire, which has seen a 50% increase in participation this year from 60 to 90 young people taking part. Heather Wheeler said: “I have always been a strong advocate of the Nation Citizen Service over the years and meeting and talking to the young people from South Derbyshire was wonderful. We seem to hear and read so many negative things about our young people, so seeing the good work being achieved by this group deserves high recognition. I wish them well at their Graduation in September.”