A pilot scheme to encourage young people to take an active role in the community will officially launch next month.

The scheme has been running since September and allows young people aged between 11 and 16 to do work in their local community.

The Bradford Positive Action Group has been funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation along with a similar scheme in York. The Royds Community Association is overseeing the work and coming up with projects for the group to carry out.

For each hour of community work completed, each person accrues ten points - which equates to £5 towards something he or she wants to buy.

At the start of the project everyone was asked to set themselves a target - for example a new pair trainers. When enough points are accrued the youngster will go out with a youth worker to get the reward.

At the moment ten young people from the Delph Hill estate have been working hard to reach their targets.

So far they have planted bulbs in Wyke Park, swept up leaves outside local businesses, taken dogs for walks for local residents, planted trees, picked up litter, dropped leaflets, put up Christmas decorations and even wrapped presents.

The scheme has been so successful in Delph Hill that another has been set up with ten young people from the St Mary's and Shirley Manor estate. This time the funding has come from the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund.

A neighbourhood environmental action worker for Royds, Jason Kerry, said the young people involved in the second project had expressed an interest in drama work so they are hoping to arrange theatre workshops.

Mr Kerry said he had been pleasantly surprised by the way that the group had got involved with the activities.

"We do not try to force anyone into doing anything," he said. "Some of the kids want to spend the whole day doing the activities, others just a couple of hours. There is something to do there if they want to do it."

Mr Kerry said that, because of the success of the original project, Royds Community Association is trying to secure funding to extend the scheme across the district.

A launch date has not been finalised but a special event to mark the work of the Positive Action Group will be held in February.