A YOUTH club is doing its bit to improve a community.

Members of Denholme Juniors have taken part in a wide range of activities to spruce-up the village.

And more projects are planned.

In recent months, youngsters have cleaned benches and tidied paths and they carry out regular litter picks.

They have also made and painted bird boxes and bug hotels in a bid to attract birds and insects.

Major schemes have included the building of a pond on an area of land within the park.

The club was given permission to ‘adopt’ the area.

“The children were very excited and helped to get the pond in and ready for the summer months,” said Kelly Robertson, who runs the club with fellow volunteer Julie Wood.

“We hope to encourage more wildlife and create an area where villagers can sit and take in the lovely surroundings.”

The club, for eight-to-13-year-olds from Denholme, was set-up about 16 months ago.

It is a charity, run under the umbrella of Denholme Youth Cafe.

“The main aim is to encourage young people to respect the village and look after it and they have taken part in many activities,” Kelly added.

“They have done some amazing work within the village.”

The club has also held a bake-off event in the Mechanics hall, with the youth cafe, which raised money for a bench to be placed in the pond area.

There have been visits from traffic police, police dog handlers, paramedics, crime scene investigators and Claire Gray from the TV programme Police Interceptors.

Members also took part in a road safety month run by two PCSOs, who attended some of the club sessions.

The club meets every Tuesday, between 5pm and 6.30pm. Contact Kelly on 07572 023953 for more details.