YOUNG and old joined forces to clear up their village during a tidy-up day.

The clean-up of Shotton saw leaves cleared and litter picked up from the Church Walk area.

Several of the volunteers were clients of Stonham, which provides accommodation for young people in the village who would otherwise be homeless, working alongside members of Shotton Residents’ Group and East Durham Homes.

Joyce Lovack, from Shotton Residents Group, said: "It was really nice and thoughtful of young people from Stonham agreeing to help the community.

"They were very polite and helpful at all times. This shows the young people from Stonham want to link in with the community and contribute to it."

Victoria Colman, a project support worker at Stonham, said: "The young people who were involved in the ‘tidy up’ exercise really enjoyed the event.

"They were given a sense of achievement and pride and it was an opportunity for them to help their local community.

"It is important for our young people to be recognised as valued members of the community in Shotton and I think this has proved it."

The three organisations are so pleased with how this event went that they’re hoping to arrange more events in the New Year.