YOUNG people in Farnham and surrounding area, are making a difference to their community by proposing activities that will make a positive impact.

More than 25 young people aged 10 to 16 who want to make a difference through campaigning, fundraising or volunteering in their community attended the Farnham Youth SOUP.

The Youth SOUP provided a platform for the young people to pitch their youth social action ideas to an influential audience including, Surrey Police, NHS North East Hampshire and Farnham CCG, Farnham Lions, Eikon and Community For Surrey Foundation.

The event was organised by Surrey Youth Focus, generously funded by Farnham Town Council and hosted by Farnham Maltings.

Presentations were heard from:

• Eikon/Farnham Heath End School – Stress Busters – creating a small box to give to young people to help deal with stress and anxiety, with useful aids and contacts on-line and telephone numbers.

• St Polycarp’s Catholic Primary School - raising money to provide a lunch and luxury pack for homeless people from Transform Housing.

• More House School – Litter Busters – to tidy up their community and encourage the use of litter bins.

• Rodborough School- provide a covered outdoor space with well thought-out landscaped garden area for use by all the young people at school to access fresh air during the school day, without getting too wet.

• Finally, Sandy Hill Youth Group which was unfortunately unable to be present, but want to campaign for ‘A Better Place to Live’ by reducing bad language, litter, graffiti, egging and other anti-social behaviour in their community to make them feel safer.

The Sandy Hill Youth Group won the Star Prize – Collected by Pc David Barnes on their behalf. Seed fund money was presented for each project and the Star Prize to Sandy Hills Youth Group.

Caroline Martyn, projects manager at local charity Surrey Youth Focus said: “The Farnham Youth SOUP was a fantastic way of partners working together to support local young people to improve the community.

“It provided a great insight into the issues faced by young people, giving them a voice, in the knowledge that their views were being actively listened to.

“The young people attending particularly liked ‘working in a team’, ‘hearing the other youth social action projects and the different ideas’,’to know that people are willing to help them’, ‘meeting inspiring people’, ‘being heard’ and ‘making connections’.

“It was evident from the response of three mayors attending this event of their own interest in and desire to support young people in the area: Mayor of Farnham Mike Hodge, Mayor of Waverley Simon Inchbald and Mayor of Haslemere Malcolm Carter.”

Anyone interested in finding out more about the Youth SOUP’s in Surrey, should visit www.surreyyouthfocus.org.uk, @surreyYFand/or #youthsoup, or call Caroline on 01483 453962.