The group of ten young people - named the Young Arrows - have secured £5,000 from Gateshead Council’s Youth Opportunities Fund (YOF) to visit London for the very first time and make a film of their experiences there on the 3rd-5th July.

All aged between 12 and 16, many members of the group have missed a lot of school due to problems with bullying and, as a result, have lost out on the chance to go on school trips.

As well as giving many of these youngsters the opportunity to do something they haven’t done before, this experience will help build their self-esteem and confidence.

To win the funding, the Young Arrows had to complete an application form and present their idea to a panel of 15 young people from youth clubs, community centres and schools across the borough.

The panel, which is made up of people aged between 13 and 20, judge all applications for the Youth Opportunity Fund (YOF) and decide which projects receive funding.

This scheme was launched by Government to help support youth projects and involve local youngsters in the decision-making process, especially around issuing grants aimed at providing things to do and places to go for young people. The panel awards more than £186,000 every year.

Councillor Catherine Donovan, Cabinet member for children and young people at Gateshead Council said: “The Youth Opportunity Fund helps give a voice to young people and provides the means to help change the way local authorities provide services. It lets the youngsters themselves choose which projects are the most deserving, whilst also providing the opportunity to build confidence, knowledge and skills.

“I’m delighted to hear that the Young Arrows have been successful in their bid for funds. They’re clearly very deserving and I’m sure that they will see enormous benefits from the whole experience - from winning the funding to going on the trip and recording their adventures. Hopefully it will provide an enormous boost to their confidence and self-esteem.”