A YOUTH group less than a year old has celebrated its first major event by raising more than £1,000 for charity.

The Islamic Youth Connection, which caters for 140 young people across Warrington, is based at the Warrington Islamic Association on Lockton Lane, Bewsey.

The group has two more major projects set to begin in coming months.

A charity lunch held for town dignitaries, including Peter Fahy, Chief Constable of Cheshire Police, Warrington's two MPs, Helen Southworth and Helen Jones, and fire boss Steve McGuirk, was the culmination of nine months' hard work since the IYC was set up.

This was the first time the young people from the centre had organised the charity lunch, which has become a tradition in the centre, and the cash raised will go to Project 12-19, the chosen charity of Mayor Clr Pauline Nelson.

She said: "I would like to thank the young people for the effort in putting on the lunch because it was a super day."

Among the highlights of the day was the premiere of a documentary, which the young people had made to chronicle their debut showing the hard work of those involved. And one of the most impressive displays was a 30ft-high art display of the five pillars of Islam.

Chairman Sagheer Zaman, aged 22, and secretary Kanza Ahmed, aged 20, who helped coordinate the event, have now stepped down to concentrate on their studies but much more is planned.

Now the focus will be on a drug project run by the Warrington Youth Federation and a new service launched to commemorate the ancestry of the Warrington Islamic community, known as Back Home.

The event for the Warrington Islamic Association is the annual general meeting on Sunday, April 25.