SOUTH Lakeland school children enjoyed a morning building rafts on Windermere to bring an end to a project aimed at boosting their citizenship skills.

Youngsters taking part in the South Lakes Junior PCSO scheme gathered at Fell Foot Park to conclude a summer-long project.

The raft-building was followed by a presentation at the Grange Hotel with guests including Cumbria's Police and Crime Commissioner Richard Rhodes.

PSCO Emma Forrester, who was involved in the project, said: "The purpose of the scheme was to encourage good citizenship and promote pride in the community in the youth on the cusp of influential secondary school life and experiences.

"By creating a fun but educational programme of events, it was our intention to provide an understanding to the juniors that would help them make the right decisions in the coming years.

"With the help of Network Rail and British Transport Police, we showed them the consequences of playing on or near the railway network. A similarly important input from Bay Search & Rescue taught us all the implications of ignoring safety warnings."

Children also hosted a coffee morning for the elderly, helped SLDC in a litter pick and spent time with the Community First Responders and North West Ambulance Service.

"I hope we have inspired a few juniors to consider a career with any of the partner agencies we have worked with, but ideally as adult PCSOs in the future," added PCSO Forrester.