If you want something doing then its best to get on and do it yourself - it maybe an age old saying but it seems that the youngest generation living in Swaffham have taken it to heart.

If you want something doing then its best to do it yourself - it maybe an age old saying but it seems that the youngest generation living in Swaffham have taken it to heart.

When youngsters in the town wanted to ensure that their new youth club kept going they decided that leaving things up to the adults was just not an option.

Rather than sit back and let others do all the work, two determined 17-year-olds decided to try their hand at getting the money themselves.

And after applying to the Norfolk Youth Fund, a special pot of county council funding controlled by youngsters for the benefit of youth groups across Norfolk, Amy Head and Rebecca Balls managed to secure £12, 392 for the Youthie club, which is based at Swaffham's community centre.

Amy said: “All the young people in Swaffham wanted a place to go and this gives people the chance to get off the streets and have a laugh.

“It also lets the older generation see something positive that the youth have done.

“We asked for the funding and we got the full amount first time which I was really surprised at because when I applied for funding before I only got part of it.”

Youthie started as a pilot scheme in September and has proved an instant hit in Swaffham, quickly becoming a focal point for the town's young people.

The cash injection not only secures Youthie's future for the next two years but makes it unique in Norfolk in that it is the only youth club of its kind to be funded by cash young people themselves and have sought and won.

Currently the club, which caters for 11 to 17-year-olds, meets every Wednesday night with its sister club, Youthie Plus, designed for a slightly older age group between 14 and 19, meeting fortnightly on Mondays.

* At WATTON the manager of the town's new youth drop-in centre has said the club has got off to a flying start. Rosie Gibb said that more than 70 young people had signed up to become a member of The Surge, based at the former doctor's surgery on St Giles Road. Mrs Gibb said she hoped to open more rooms at the centre and bring more facilities online in the New Year.