by Jo Earle

A young mum from Kent was among more than 70 youngsters who won awards for helping people in the county.

Jade Bell, 21, from Maidstone, gained a prize at the Kent Youth Awards for her work in the project called "Movers and Shapers".

It is a scheme which helps shape health services for youngsters.

Jade goes into schools and speaks to youngsters in Maidstone to seek their views about what they feel needs to be looked at and addressed in the health services they receive.

Speaking about what the youngsters commonly ask for, Jade said: "They would like more sexual health in schools to be coming from a peer educator of around their age.

"So we just take that back to the health services and help them shape their services for the better of young people and young parents."

Jade is part of the UK Youth Charity which received a £750,000 grant from the Department for Children, Schools and Families for its three year ‘Movers and Shapers’ Programme.

The programme is giving disadvantaged young people - like Jade - support to pursue excellence in the provision of life impacting key services.

"It’s basically to give us confidence and self esteem to better ourselves and get an education to better ourselves and get an education that in school we didn’t get," she said.

The annual ceremony took place at The St George’s Centre, Chatham Maritime on July 15.

Eve Johnson, director of Kent Youth, said: "The young people have worked hard to achieve these awards during the past year and the evening celebrates their commitment and also the many volunteer hours they have contributed.

"It is also very important to us that young people influence the work that we do, so it is very fitting that young people lead the planning and delivery of their own awards ceremony."

Rob McKay, speaking on behalf of The Informers, said: "This evening has been planned by young people for young people and is very important to all those receiving awards.

"It is the first time for many that they have achieved a certificate and it is important to say thank you to them for their commitment."