YOUNG volunteers from a Keighley Muslim youth group teamed up to clean up the town centre following New Year celebrations.

Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association (AMYA) Keighley spent their day off on New Year's Day clearing litter off the streets.

Their efforts were part of the UK-wide Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association's winter campaign, which has seen members plant thousands of trees, feed the homeless and visit poorly children in hospital, amongst other activities.

An AMYA Keighley spokesman said: "On New Year’s morning, our youth, some as young as seven-years-old, offered morning prayers at our mosque in Worth Way. Then donning hi-vis jackets, they headed to Keighley town centre to pick up litter and make sure everything was tidy for the New Year.

"The aim of the initiative was to not only instil the values of volunteering and community service in all our members, but to support the council by alleviating costs from the New Year’s Eve clean-up."

Dr Adeem Rubani, youth leader for AMYA Keighley, said: “We’ve been doing the New Year’s clean-up for many years now, and each year we see more and more members coming to help.

"Islam urges every Muslim to partake in charitable giving, community service, and promote cleanliness.

"AMYA has and continues to instil in young people a sense of civic responsibility, and a desire to promote harmony within our communities.

"The New Year’s Day clean-up campaign ensures Muslim youth can be active members of society and serve the environment."