TWO West Devon youngsters will be attending a special leadership course this year, thanks to Yelverton Rotary Club.

The club raised £1,400 to pay for Nicole Townsend-Bell, 19, from Bere Alston and Hallam Bourton, 18, also from Bere Alston, to attend the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards course.

The awards are gained by candidates who complete a residential course held every year. The course comprises an intensive programme of outdoor activities and tasks aimed at building skills, along with a series of projects and lectures from eminent high achieving members of the South West Community.

The objective is to inspire and develop the confidence and ability of young persons aged between 18 and 28, to teach them to become leaders in their own communities and to plan for themselves interesting and useful lives.

Nicole works at Duke's Coffee House in Tavistock and Hallam is working at Tavistock Community Sports Centre in his year out, before going to university to study maritime business studies.

Both Nicole and Hallam were educated at Tavistock College.