TWO Bradford teenagers dedicated to supporting their local communities have been named among 100 young people chosen as ambassadors for the National Citizen Service.

Sarish Saghir and Sukhpreet Shergill were selected from more than 40,000 youngsters across the UK for their social action projects aimed at supporting homeless people in Bradford.

Sarish, 16, from the Girlington area, named her project Hope for the Homeless. She and a team of volunteers organised and packed hampers with essentials such as a warm clothing and a wash kit.

She handed out around 100 packages in just two hours at a soup kitchen at the St Pio Friary in Bradford and recently received £2,000 to continue the project.

"I still get recognised by some of the homeless people from the project and they thank me and ask for more items," she said.

"We hope to create more hampers and have them ready to hand out just before Christmas, hopefully not only making homeless people smile, but making sure they stay warm and healthy throughout the winter.

"NCS was the most inspirational and rewarding experience I have taken part in.

"My confidence has grown, I’m more comfortable to give my opinion, take part, and help prove the traditional stereotypes of teenagers wrong."

Sukhpreet, now 18, from the Bolton Woods area, also made up hampers for homeless people and distributed them at a shelter in the city.

"It was an amazing experience," he said.

"The people we helped were so grateful, and you could tell we were doing a great deed as everyone was so polite despite all they have been through.

"The week at NCS leaders was just great, and you could see everyone there wanted to make a change.

"Everyone should apply for NCS as it is a once-in-a-lifetime chance."

Ellie Julings, from Woodcraft Folk, a local delivery partner for NCS, said the pair wer excellent role models for Bradford.

"Sarish and Sukhpreet thoroughly deserve this recognition - Sarish for her energy and passion for social action and Sukhpreet for his ability to inspire and encourage others," she added.

The Government-backed National Citizen Service (NCS) scheme, which was established in 2011, is open to 16 and 17 year-olds who want to create a more responsible and engaged society.

Participants on the two or three-week programme learn skills for life and work and spend 30 hours organising and delivering a voluntary project.

Having been chosen for their prestigious new roles, Sarish and Sukhpreet recently attended a week-long leadership programme at Dulwich College in London with other NCS ambassadors.

The aim is to develop a national network of teenagers with the insight and ability to encourage other young people in their communities to help deliver positive change.