Young offenders got their hands dirty for a good cause recently when they helped tidy up a mountain bike trail in Cwmcarn Forest Park, near Newport.
The eight young people from the Monmouthshire and Torfaen Youth Offending/Prevention and Intervention Team were briefed by Forestry Commission Wales’s Mountain Bike Ranger Carl Denham before being kitted out with spades and getting stuck into maintenance work at the Twrch Trail.
They spent six evenings clearing loose stones and rocks from the trail while Carl remained on hand to offer support and guidance.
Carl said, “‘The work carried out by the Monmouthshire and Torfaen Youth Offending/Prevention and Intervention Team at the Twrch Trail is invaluable as it has helped us keep this busy route safe for the mountain bikers visiting Cwmcarn Forest Park.
“All the young people showed a good positive attitude and a willingness to learn about the mountain bike trails and the forest and I would not hesitate in welcoming them to work here again.”
The Monmouthshire and Torfaen Youth Offending/Prevention and Intervention Team is run by Torfaen County Borough Council. It aims to prevent offending and re-offending by young people aged 10-17 and supports them to become positive members of the community.
By working on projects such as the trail maintenance at Cwmcarn Forest, the young people learn team building and leadership skills as well as receiving a boost to their confidence and self-esteem.
Andrea Willliams, the youth worker from the Monmouthshire and Torfaen Youth Offending/Prevention and Intervention Team who accompanied the young people to Cwmcarn Forest, said, “The youngsters really enjoyed working on the mountain bike trail.
“They felt a great sense of achievement during the day, especially when riders said thank you to them as they cycled past.”
