A group of young people from Keighley has become the UK’s first south-east Asian young ambassadors for the Prince’s Trust.

Kuttub Ullah and Raju Ali, both 18, and Shaminur Rhaman Shamim, Mohammed Hussain Allah and Noor Uddin, all 16, all from Knowle Park, have been selected to form a team educating their peers on the opportunities offered by the charity.

Franco Biancardo, youth development officer at Integrated Youth Support Services Keighley, runs a youth club at the Bangladeshi Community Association, in Kensington Street. He put the young men forward.

He said: “They are very helpful and always supportive of their peers. They always volunteer for things. The brief is to raise awareness of the opportunities for people about what the Prince’s Trust does.”

The trust works nationally to help develop skills, confidence and motivation, enabling young people to move into work, education or training.

Mr Biancardo said the young ambassadors would change the way people viewed the area of Knowle Park.

He said: “It shows there’s more going on there than it being one of the most deprived wards in the country.”

Rakim Hassanali, national young ambassador co-ordinator, and Batul Dungarwaila, national inclusion manager for the Prince’s Trust, released a joint statement which said: “It was a great privilege to meet the inspirational young men.”

Councillor Michael Kelly, Bradford Council’s executive member for services to children and young people, said: “This is a wonderful achievement for these five young men.”

Onkar Singh, who manages Connexions Keighley and highlighted the scheme to his colleagues at Bradford Council’s Integrated Youth Support, said: “Their work will help to spread the word about the Prince’s Trust and hopefully encourage other young people to give it a go.”