A passionate group of young girls are celebrating one year of making change in their community.

The Girls Gang, based in the Sandwith and Kells ward of Whitehaven, are marking a year of community engagement, tackling issues such as litter and social isolation.

Set up as part of the UCLan's Connected Communities research project, the group, aged 11 and 12, have been carrying out research to better understand their community. The results are now being used to design programmes to promote positive health and wellbeing.

The girls have also raised money for a number of charities, including Age UK West Cumbria, Howgill Family Centre and Cancer Research UK.

Emma Williamson, who represents Kells and Sandwith on Cumbria County Council, said: “I am immensely proud of the girls and all they have achieved. Their empathy, maturity and devotion to supporting their community and the many great causes they fight for is nothing short of inspiring. They are pioneers within community development and they continue to make me proud each and every day."

Suzanne Wilson, research fellow in social inclusion and community engagement at the UCLan, said: “It has been a privilege to work alongside such sensitive and passionate young women. Their motivation to carry out community research and to use these results to help their community has surpassed any expectations I had of the project. As a result, we will continue to work with the girls for the foreseeable future, and I can’t wait to see where Girls Gang use their energies next.”

The girls are showing no sign of slowing down, with a number of social action projects planned for this year, which include filming and producing a series of short films to raise awareness around mental health and emotional resilience.