A GROUP of nine unemployed young people, aged 16 to 22, from Bridgwater have been nominated for an award at The Prince’s Trust and TK Maxx Celebrate Success Awards.

The group, Team 42, won the South West Dell EMC Community Impact Award a few months ago and has since been nominated to go through to the national final which will be held at the Palladium in London on Wednesday, March 15. The red carpet ceremony will be hosted by Ant & Dec.

A wish to bring positive change to the community saw nine unemployed young people from Bridgwater unite and give a sensory makeover to a rundown garden at the West Huntspill Day Centre for adults with learning disabilities.

The group had come together on Team - a 12 week programme which builds confidence and employability prospects of unemployed young people.

Zoe Mills, Bridgwater Team 42 member, said: "Most of us hadn't been around people with learning disabilities before, so we didn't know what to expect. But they were so nice and friendly, we knew we wanted to do something special for them."

After choosing to support the Day Centre, the group came across their first hurdle - fundraising.

"More than half the Team battled with anxiety and communication issues. This meant the prospect of talking to the public during a fundraising bag pack they had organised at ASDA terrified them. Yet, showing great maturity, they supported each other and raised £224.24 in just four hours.

They also secured donations of paint and tyres and forged strong relationships with Dulux and Somerset Auto & Tyres.

Carefully managing their budget, and taking the time and thought to put themselves in the place of the service users, the Team worked consistently hard to make the sensory garden come to life. The end result was a work of art - the garden is now one of the most popular spaces at the Centre.

Proud of what they had achieved, the young people completed the rest of the programme filled with enthusiasm and are now all volunteering, in education, traineeships or in work.

Ricky Dean, Bridgwater Team 42 member, said: "Meeting the service users at the Centre was really good - it helped me and the others put our own problems into perspective."

The Prince’s Trust & TK Maxx Celebrate Success Awards, now in their thirteenth year, recognise disadvantaged young people who have overcome issues such as abuse, drug addiction, homelessness, depression and unemployment.

Rita Ora, Tom Hardy, Geri Horner, David Haye and Alesha Dixon were among the celebrities who attended last year’s event.