YOUNG people have taken part in an art project designed to keep a community free from graffiti.

A group of 13 to 16-year-olds from West Auckland took part in a workshop at the Millbank Youth Centre, where they designed graffiti boards with professional artist Andrew Allan.

The session was jointly organised by the Pride Campaign and Wear Valley Arts after an environmental survey by pupils from Oakley Cross Primary School had identified graffiti and litter as problems affecting the village.

The pupils had examined the difference between graffiti art and unsightly scribbles found on walls and fences, and discussed the effect on residents and the village environment. A display went on show in West Auckland Memorial Hall over the summer.

Pride Campaign officer Joanne Morley said: "Through the workshops the young people could see that such graffiti has very little to say and that it is possible to express your personality in a creative and controlled way that does not spoil an area for the vast majority of people."