EMERGE'S team of youth ambassadors have won the Young Active Citizen award with over 600 votes.

The category celebrates a special young person or group of volunteers who are making a difference in the district.

One of the youth ambassadors told the Telegraph & Argus: "Feels great to win an award for what we do with emerge, and looks good for our area too.

"We’ve been helping make food boxes and help people through this hard time as one group. Through our small events and fund raising we are slowly making our area better each week.

"It has helped me make friends, and grow in confidence.

"Before joining Emerge I wasn’t involved in anything and this has helped me be a better version of me.

"Everyone has struggled in this pandemic even if they don’t admit it. We have helped as many people as we can especially when everyone needed help."

The group fundraised for a defibrillator which has been used 10 times. Emerge also arranged litter picks in their local area, bringing together people of all ages to make the area cleaner. Throughout the pandemic, the group has helped with The Sutton Centre pack food parcels, collect donations and sort it for families coming to pick up their package.

At the heart of efforts are the young people who meet weekly after school, looking at ways they could help improve their community and making it happen.

The person who nominated Emerge for the award said: "They have also arranged litter picks in the local area, engaging both younger and older residents bringing them together to help clean the community.

"Over this lockdown period they have helped with the food pantry at the community centre helping bring in food, collect donations and help sort it ready for families who needed food to come and collect a weeks worth of supplies. Their most recent event was a pumpkin carving festival for families during half term which they planned, including making it COVID safe. This was enjoyed by over 30 families in the BD4 area at a time when nothing else was happening.

"This group give up their time weekly and rather than just looking at what they can do to improve young people's lives they really do invest in the whole community and see how they can help everyone together."

Emerge has worked with young people for more than 25 years in what it describes as "some of the most difficult and broken wards of Bradford".

Inspired by the Christian faith, it started in Laisterdyke and East Bowling at two churches and involved engaging with the young people on their streets.

The group wants to show alternatives to the crime and temptations young people can often get swept up in and inspire them to transform their lives.

The project has since expanded into London and South Yorkshire.

To get in touch, you can email info@emergeonline.org.uk