YOUNG people are learning about the importance of strong and happy communities.

Pupils at Urmston Grammar School have been working with the charity Forever Manchester.

As part of the relationship, its Community Builders will work with groups of children to help them discover the wealth of skills and talents within the school and transform that into community activity that will benefit everyone in the school and hopefully the local community.

Urmston Grammar School assistant headteacher Angela Rogers said: “At Urmston Grammar, our whole school ethos is based on three key principals; pride, participation and empathy.

"We encourage our pupils to be proud of themselves, their school and their local community and we support them to actively participate in the many opportunities available to them.

“With each new experience our pupils grow in empathy and social awareness and this fits perfectly with everything that Forever Manchester represents. We are keen to work with James Hampson and the rest of Forever Manchester team and are looking forward to creating, and participating in, some exciting community projects.”

The students at Urmston Grammar have already raised £843 from their dress-down day before Christmas.

Nick Massey, Forever Manchester CEO, said: "It’s great to see the pupils at Urmston Grammar getting involved so enthusiastically, these sessions are about generating fresh and exciting ideas and recognizing that we can all have a positive impact in our local community."