THE POLITICS bus pulled in to schools in Wellington and Wiveliscombe this week.

The colourful vehicle was driven by members of Somerset County Council's youth service and pupils hopped on board to learn about the relevance of politics in everyday life.

Kingsmead School was the first stop and year eight students were invited on to take part in discussions on topical issues and to learn about how voting does make a difference.

Ben Elkins, head of citizenship at Kingsmead Community School, said: "They learnt about the election process and democracy as part of their citizenship provisions. They also learnt about the UK Youth Parliament and voted for one of the candidates. It was definitely helpful."

To try and get young people interested in politics from an early age, the county council is targeting schools to show pupils they can have a voice as well.