Youth offending service help clear an overgrown area in St Athan
Young people working with the Vale of Glamorgan’s Youth Offending Service (YOS) have cleared an overgrown site in St Athan.
Made up of representatives from the Police, Probation Service, Social Services, and professionals in health, education, drugs and alcohol misuse, the YOS aims is to improve opportunities for the young people it works with to promote the best outcomes.
The team work with children aged eight to 17 from across the Vale who have offended or are at risk of offending to support them to desist from offending or other negative behaviour in the community.
The service promotes community values and actively encourages young people to give back to their local community in reparation projects.
Participants carry out a variety of tasks on community reparation including graffiti cleaning, litter picking, beach cleaning and footpath clearing.
Recently, members of the YOS have been working in St Athan. The team worked to clear an area of the village centre that had become overgrown and had been a problem for several years.
The team left the site looking much tidier and cleaner and members of the community have reached out to thank them for their hard work.
After the project’s success, the YOS is already in talks about carrying out further work in the St Athan area and getting involved with the community council.
Cllr Kathryn McCaffer, Vale of Glamorgan Council Cabinet Member for Leisure, Arts and Culture, said: “This project demonstrates the great work of the Youth Offending Service in getting young people to give back to their communities and understanding the impacts of their actions.
“I look forward to seeing more of the great work and community benefits the YOS brings in the future.”