YOUNG people in Prudhoe will have their voices heard as two friendly faces head out into the town to get the ball rolling with a much-anticipated new youth project.

Detached youth workers, Becca Bennett and Chesley Conlin, will be on the streets two nights a week speaking to people in Prudhoe to find out what young people want from Prudhoe Youth Project.

The project is a volunteer-led charity which has been set up, sponsored by Prudhoe Community Partnership and supported by Prudhoe Town Council, and it has commissioned children’s charity, Children North East, to run youth work sessions for the next year.

Chesley explained that they would initially be out and about in the town between 5.30pm and 7.30pm on Tuesdays and Fridays. “We will be talking to young people but also other people in the community too, to find out where young people are heading and what they are interested in,” she said.

Once Becca and Chesley have established some things which would be of interest to young people, the project will be able to get started with setting up activities.

Prudhoe Youth Project chairwoman, Rachel Noble, said: “It’s all about building relationships with young people and identifying things they might want to do. We want the activities to be as inclusive as possible and we want the young people to be involved in the development of the service from day one.”

Sean Soulsby, lead practitioner for Children North East’s Young People’s Service, explained that the pair had already been into some local schools, so youngsters would get to know their faces. The project will also work in partnership with other youth providers in Prudhoe.