YOUNG artists get down to work this week as a community art project takes off at Pinehurst People’s Centre.

The workshops, organised by the Scrapstore resource centre, are being funded with the help of a £5,000 grant from the Wiltshire Community Foundation and are intended not just to give young people something to do during the summer holidays, but also to give them new skills and confidence.

During the course they will design their own artwork and work out the budget for it.

At a taster session earlier this year teens worked with portrait artist Toni Dickinson to learn new techniques who said they would be taking the lead during the workshops, coming up with ideas and creating the art themselves with some guidance.

The sessions are aimed at children who generally have nothing to do in the summer holidays and they came about after youth and social workers reported that some families could fall apart during the long break because of the increased emotional and financila pressures it caused.

Cuts to youth services also meant centres, playparks and summer projects, which helped to keep young people occupied and entertained had been closed.

Scrapstore manager Olivia McCann said the workshops were also about giving the youngsters the freedom to express themselves.

"Evaluations on previous projects have shown that young people feel better about themselves when they are given the opportunity to take the lead and shine in their community."

Cash for the project has come through the government’s #iwill fund, which is fed by the Big Lottery and the Office for Civil Action.

The course, which is free, is open to teenagers aged 14 to 16 and runs between Thursday and Monday.

More information is available from Scrapstore at olivia@scrapstore.co.uk