CONFIDENCE, new friends and better skills - this is what young people said they had gained from taking part on the Prince's Trust volunteer programme.

At an awards ceremony to mark the end of a three-month course, 13 young people took to the stage at The Heath business park to tell an audience of family and friends about their achievements.

The Prince's Trust aims to help young people - employed and unemployed - develop their potential via a range of activities from learning first aid to going on residential weeks.

Halton Council leader, Cllr Tony McDermott, was invited to present the certificates and praised Cheshire Fire Service who deliver the programme on behalf of the Prince's Trust.

He said: "The Prince's Trust is one of the most successful charities in the country for young people and it's an honour for Halton Council to be associated with the wonderful achievements of these young people.

"I feel for young people, if they pass their exams then they're are too easy, if they fail then they're hopeless, if they stay in they're couch potatoes and if they go out with mates they're a menace on the streets.

"These young people who have completed this course are a credit to themselves and their families.

"It's not easy to stand at a rostrum and make a presentation and it shows how much confidence they've gained from the course that they have all stood up and made their own presentation."

More than 80 per cent of young people who take part find work within three months of completing the programme.

Team leader Ian Hegarty and his assistant Abi Heyes will be recruiting in the job centres in Runcorn and are holding an open day at Grangeway Community Centre on Thursday, September 11 at 11am.

For more information about the Prince's Trust personal development course, call Ian on 07776-297872 or Abi on 07776-297800.