TWO young girls are helping elderly people stay cool and safe over the summer through their own "Beat The Heat" campaign.

Erin Barron and Eleanor Kavanagh, both 10-years-old, are friends from the Thirsk area and are taking part in the North Yorkshire Police Lifestyle Challenge 2018.

And their campaign has already seen them supply local extra care housing residents with bottles of water and distribute posters with tips on how to stay cool and safe over the summer.

Eleanor said: “We wanted to do our campaign to help people understand how important it is to be safe in the heat. We’ve been making posters and giving out bottles of water to older people. We even helped a resident who was 100 years old.

"We’ve really enjoyed meeting lots of different people during this challenge.”

But the challenge does not stop there. The girls are also planning on helping local people across all ages.

Erin said: “As well as older people, we wanted to do something for people of all ages, so we’re arranging a special park run for children in the Dalton and Sessay areas and setting up a children’s neighbourhood watch.”

NHS Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby Clinical Commissioning Group saw the campaign and wanted to help them spread their important message.

Chief officer Janet Probert said: “We invited Erin and Eleanor to our offices to tell us all about the work they were doing over the summer for the Lifestyle Challenge.

"We first heard about their campaign on Twitter and thought it was so important – particularly this year with the heat.

“They told us all about how they were making sure residents of care homes and extra care housing were keeping hydrated and looking after themselves in the heat, as well as what they’re planning on doing next as part of their challenge.”

The girls, known as the Thirsk Angels, are also planning to hold a bake sale to help raise money to buy fans for a local care home. Erin said: “But we promise not to eat all the cakes beforehand.”

The Lifestyle Challenge is open to all 10 – 17 year olds who are residents in York or North Yorkshire. The aim is to keep children and young people active over the summer and encourage them to support their local communities.

To follow the girls' challenge over the summer follow their account on Twitter @thirskangels