TWO teenagers working to improve their estate have been honoured at a national awards ceremony.

Frustrated with problems on Sherburn Road Estate, Durham City, Che DiLella and Kieran Appleby started working with children’s rights campaign Investing in Children (IiC), the local police, charity Durham Youth for Christ, community centres and groups and other residents young and old to turn the area around.

Play equipment was fixed and improved, graffiti was cleaned up and more games facilities were installed for older children.

The police started holding mini-Pact (Police and Communities Together) meetings and some even took to wearing hoodies when approaching young people.

The youth club has enjoyed a revival and young people staged a bingo session for local pensioners.

Durham Area Action Parternship (AAP) was impressed and agreed to support the project, going on to achieve IiC membership status itself.

The work was so successful it was shortlisted for the Youth Volunteering prize at the Children and Young People Now Awards, held at the Grand Connaught Rooms, in London.

Although it missed out on the award, Che, 15, and Kieran, 14, attended the ceremony, along with IiC workers Felicity Shenton and Robert Smith Johnson.

“It was really good,” Kieran, a Belmont Community School pupil from Sherburn Road Estate, said.

“It would have been even better if we had won, but it was nice to be nominated for an award.”

“Things are better on the estate now than before,” Che, a Belmont Community School pupil from Gilesgate, added.

“There wasn’t anything to do. We just stayed indoors with nothing to do.

“It’s really different now. Sherburn Road is a much more pleasant place to be.

“Instead of having to go to Gilesgate or Belmont park to get access to an arena to play football, there’s one at Laurel Avenue now. It’s made a big difference to the estate.”

Mr Smith Johnson said: “This highlights the importance of involving children and young people in local decision making.

“It’s good recognition for us as an organisation.”

Che said it was still difficult to get young people’s voices heard, but the work is continuing, with ongoing talks between young people and the police.

Formerly part of Durham County Council, IiC became an independent Community Interest Company (CIC) in summer 2013.