AMBITIOUS plans to celebrate the new millennium by creating a young people's volunteer taskforce across Cheshire have been warmly welcomed by a Winsford councillor.

Cheshire County Council is bidding for almost £500,000 of Government funding to get its millennium volunteers scheme off the ground.

The project aims to recruit young people, aged 16-24, from across the county to take on voluntary work which would improve the quality of life throughout Cheshire.

Winsford councillor Moira Chapman, the county council's youth and community spokesman, believes that the scheme can be a big hit.

She said: "The benefits of encouraging and developing this scheme are invaluable to local communities - rural and urban - and to the volunteers involved.

"The scheme will be open to everyone and can be approached by those who wish to achieve certification and excellence awards, or those who wish to adopt a more informal approach.

"We are even looking into the possibility of volunteers working alongside youth workers in an extended scheme that could lead to qualification."

It is envisaged that the young people involved in the scheme would tackle a range of projects.

These could include social care with elderly or disabled people, involvement in youth groups and forums, and environmental work in the countryside - it will be their choice.

Those taking part would be expected to commit themselves to between 100 and 200 hours of unpaid voluntary work over a 12-month period.

The scheme would be co-ordinated by the county council in partnership with other councils, health authorities, volunteer groups and further education colleges.

Cty Clr Larry Toale, chairman of the county's community development committee, said that the first work projects could be up and running by the summer.

He added: "By the millennium, it is hoped that volunteering will have become a popular form of community activity for thousands of young people.

"If the bid is successful then steering groups involving young people, representatives from the business community and partners will begin to work on the plans.

"Young people in Cheshire are already very active within their communities, but their efforts often go unrecognised and unsupported.

"This scheme will be a major step in building on those efforts."

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