Veronica Harewood loves working with young people. As a youth worker with Bradford Council she has a finger in many pies, all of them projects to encourage youngsters to enjoy themselves, have fun and maybe find a vocation into the bargain.

The 55-year-old heads a team of workers helping youngsters in Manningham, Girlington, Toller, Heaton and the city centre.

"I make sure that young people get the services they require, " Veronica says, explaining how in some areas youth centres have been set up from scratch and are now thriving.

"In September last year we set one up in Heaton village. We received a request from a parent that something like this was badly needed. We held a consultation with the young people in the area as to what sort of activities they would like to have."

The exercise resulted in the setting up of an evening youth club as well as sporting activities including training toward becoming a sports leader.

Veronica says: "They decide what they want and we assist them in setting things up. Some of the older ones are being trained to act as youth leaders.

"It has been a great success. There are now around 30 members. I'm very proud of what has been achieved."

Veronica, whose work involves young people aged between 12 and 19, is hoping to replicate that success with a similar project in Girlington.

"It looks like we are doing that, " she says. "The project has only been running a month and already 27 people are attending."

Activities include sport, music and dance. At present a small studio is being created at Veronica's base in Duckworth Lane for youngsters to produce their own CDs.

Different groups of youngsters are also helped, with special projects for young people excluded from school and children of refugee families.

"We work from their perspective - where they are at is where we start, " Veronica adds.

Originally from Jamaica, she became involved in youth work while bringing up her son and daughter in Oldham. Along with a number of other parents, she decided there was nothing to keep young people occupied.

Together they managed to organise a series of activities and Veronica's knack for working with young people was noticed by the head of a local youth centre. She was encouraged to join the profession full-time.

She later found a job as a youth leader in Bradford, studied for the relevant qualifications and has not looked back.

Her jobs have included responsibility for people of African and African-Caribbean descent, and at present her work includes helping deaf youngsters and working with the PHAB club for physically handicapped and able-bodied young people.

She has also been instrumental in helping the Bradford youth group Shades to raise funds for a trip to Bradford by youngsters at a deaf school in Jamaica. Last year Shades raised £21,000 to fund a trip for ten members to travel to the deaf centre with three youth workers. They helped to rebuild a playground and ran a number of events for the pupils, including a dance performance.

Veronica finds her job very rewarding but says sometimes it is really frustrating.

"Young people do things you don't want them to do, but the only thing to do is to get down and ask how best you can help them - to signpost them to appropriate places. When they manage to settle and study it gives you a real buzz.

"I like to see young people branch out and contribute with ideas, and shape the services they are using."

The job has few down sides, but one, she says, is the paperwork.

"That is the part I hate most. But you have to do the paperwork to be able to get the funding."

Veronica is thrilled by the thought that in the future, the youngsters training to become youth workers themselves may step into her shoes.

She says: "It is very satisfying to think that one day they will replace me in the service."