Discovery day for city's young volunteers

York Council is one of only five authorities to be chosen to run an innovative national volunteering programme for young people aged between 14 and 16.

Called Feel Involved York Youth Community Action, yesterday was one of the first major volunteering school days, where pupils go out to work with a range of community organisations.

The event was held at Huntington School and headteacher John Tomsett said: "We were delighted to be the first school to take part in a volunteering day.

"Our Year Nine pupils, who have been learning about the benefits of volunteering, were especially looking forward to taking part in the volunteering taster sessions."

York Council's assistant director in adults, children and education, Paul Murphy, said: "The volunteering school days will all be taking place in local secondary schools in York as a fun and interactive way to introduce young people to volunteering.

"There will also be a range of high-quality volunteering opportunities and community action activities taking place throughout the summer, which will allow young people aged 14 to 16 to apply their learning and develop skills in real-life contexts."

Yesterday's initial event at Huntington School was to give youngsters the chance to discover an interactive way of learning about volunteering, by being involved in a range of volunteer taster sessions.

Conservation was high on the agenda with BTCV, the UK's largest environmental volunteering organisation, working with young people at Fulford Community Orchard to build tree guards, clear nettles, and stump up coppiced trees.