A SCHEME to encourage young people to develop a can-do attitude towards community participation will begin today.

South Denbighshire Community Partnership (SDCP) and Denbighshire Youth Service (DYS) will host the first day of events for the new community project, which provides children and youth in Corwen and surrounding areas with access to outdoor activities over the summer holiday – but they must first put the work in.

The scheme, called the Community Togetherness Points Scheme, will enable children to earn points through taking part in volunteer projects such as community tidy-ups and litter-picking, which can then can be used to register to outdoor activities such as bushcraft skills sessions, high ropes, white water rafting, raft building, ‘messy play’ sessions, and outdoor and indoor sports.

The scheme is being carried out on behalf of Alex Roberts, from Corwen, who raised £1,415 at last year’s Ironman Wales through support from the Corwen community and its businesses, which he has now donated to the SDCP after seeing how his own daughter benefitted from the group’s initiatives.

Sally Lloyd Davies, community engagement and development manager for the SDCP said: “It is inspiring to see the difference that can be made thanks to Alex Roberts’s efforts to raise this money and I strongly believe the project and partnership work with Denbighshire Youth Service to deliver these activities for the children and youth of the area along with the community together points scheme will build stronger community relationships and have a positive impact on the community as a whole.

“We are committed to working collaboratively for the benefit of the community and are delighted to be working in partnership once again with Denbighshire Youth Service.”

Andrew Williams, community youth worker for Dee Valley for the DYS said: “This is a shining example of community togetherness from all involved, the amazing efforts of Alex Robert in raising money for this project and the partnership work between ourselves and SDCP to inspire the next generation of young volunteers in Corwen and its surrounding areas, will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the community as a whole.”

The scheme will run to the end of August.

In September, Mr Roberts has entered the Ironman Tenby in September with the hope of raising further funds towards future school holiday activities for children in the area. To donate, or find out more about the new scheme, contact Sally Lloyd Davies via email sally@sdcp.org