A GROUP of youth volunteers have offered their help to the Maia Project, to convert the Old Bank in Camelford into a thriving new community space for the town.

The group of ten volunteers, aged between 16 and 17-years-old, include a mixture of students from schools at Launceston, Camelford and Bodmin, who have been taking part in a four week programme as part of Cornwall College’s National Citizens Service project (NCS), helping young people to gain new skills and encouraging them to become more independent through a series of workshops and team-building activities during their summer holidays.

The NCS Project includes two weeks of fun team-building activities, water sports and trust games at Penryn or Bodmin Moor, as well as a week at Falmouth University to find out what it’s like to live independently.

After this, the young people begin their social action project, allowing them to independently contact local organisations, including town councils, councillors and MPs, to offer their services to benefit the community. A full week of planning takes place, and then the week of hard work begins.

The group, nicknaming themselves ‘Dan Squared’, has been guided by Danny O’Shea and Danielle Stoops from the NCS project.

Delighted to hear that young people were keen to get involved in helping the Maia Project, Camelford Town Councillor Claire Hewlett invited the group to the Old Bank in Camelford to get stuck in with all the work that had to be done.

Starting on Tuesday, July 19, the group of young volunteers soon got their hands dirty, ripping up the carpet, tackling the brambles behind the fire exit, as well as coating lashes of white paint across the walls, ­ resulting in ten very messy teenagers.

Covered head-to-toe in white paint, one girl bouncing with energy said: “It looked really fun,” with another adding: “It’s all about two weeks of fun, and then two weeks of giving back to the community.”

Cllr Hewlett and her husband, Jon, are ecstatic about the young people’s involvement with the project.

Cllr Hewlett said: “It’s absolutely fantastic that they wanted to help, and they’ve already given so many ideas. I think two of them who are quite local, from Camelford, are keen to stay involved with the project afterwards. They’ve all done a great job and have worked really hard.”

With early 9am starts, the group has transformed the previously dark and dirty old NatWest bank into a bright new space, the perfect way to begin the Old Bank’s journey to becoming a central space for the community.

Danny O’Shea said: “They’ve had a fantastic time, and it’s a good programme – everything is catered for, all their food is paid for, and all the workshops and activities are run by professionals.

“I think it’s something that can allow them to take away memories, and hopefully they can meet and mix with people from other schools and stay in touch with new friends.”

Scott Mann, Conservative MP for North Cornwall, was keen to take a look at the Old Bank and meet the young volunteers that have been so heavily involved in the transformation, surprising them with a visit on Thursday, July 21.

He said: “I was delighted to go and see the work of the teenagers who took part in the National Citizens Service week in Camelford. They worked on the old NatWest bank, turning it from a shell to a community building.

“It was great to see young people dedicating their free time to help such a worthy community project.”