YES, young people can achieve!

The High Sheriff was delighted to attend a graduation ceremony for young people who had completed a five-day Youth Engagement Scheme (YES) training course.

Surrey Youth Support Service and Surrey Police deliver the acclaimed scheme in partnership. It encourages 11 to 16-year-olds with low self-esteem and confidence and at risk of school exclusion to re-engage in society and find a purpose.

The graduation ceremony took place at Leatherhead Fire Station in front of around 30 people, including the young people who had participated in the course, family members, staff from Fire and Rescue and Surrey County Council, and external supporters.

The compact YES programme includes rescue drills, which the youngsters demonstrated on graduation day before receiving their certificates from Mark Taylor, the senior officer at Surrey Fire and Rescue.

Having thanked the Fire and Rescue team, Dr Llewelyn told the graduates how impressed she was with their drills and congratulated them on completing a challenging course with such enthusiasm and learning so much in such a short time.