MP for South West Surrey, Jeremy Hunt, has extolled the virtues of the National Citizen Service (NCS) after visiting a group of young people taking part in the scheme.

NCS brings together 16 and 17 year olds from different backgrounds every summer to complete a series of personal and team challenges and make a difference in their community.

Following an action-packed stay at an outdoor centre, participants spend a week learning a new skill in a university-style setting.

And in the final week of the programme, the young people complete projects for local charities, which allows them to use their newly acquired skills in a practical setting.

One such local charity is The Meath Epilepsy Charity in Godalming and Mr Hunt visited a group of teens helping The Meath raise awareness for adults with epilepsy through the NCS.

The young people from NCS have campaigned in Godalming town centre for The Meath, and also hosted Meath’s Got Talent to encourage those supported by the charity to perform on stage.

In order to put their plans into action, the group overcame challenges including talking to the general public and mixing with people from different backgrounds.

During his visit, Mr Hunt discussed their thoughts on the NCS programme and the importance of volunteering.

He said: “This partnership between The Meath and NCS has proved a great success. Both the charity and National Citizens Service change lives by the services they offer so it is great to see them teaming up. Young people in particular can learn a lot from working with people who face huge disadvantages.”

More than 1,500 young people from Surrey will take part in NCS between June and September.

The partnership between The Meath and the NCS was organised by The Challenge, the UK’s leading charity for building a more integrated society and the largest provider of NCS in England.