Among the more striking pre-election pledges has been the Conservatives’ desire to bring back national service, a post-war scheme to boost the armed forces.
The idea of young people giving back to society is nothing new and, most recently, resulted in the creation of the National Citizen Service (NCS), a voluntary personal and social development programme for 16 to 17-year-olds in England funded largely by the government.
It was founded in 2009 and formally announced in 2010 by prime minister David Cameron as part of the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition government’s Big Society initiative, being launched in 2011.
The scheme was made permanent through the National Citizen Service Act 2017 and the NCS became a Royal Charter Body in 2018.
The programme takes place in the spring, summer or autumn, coinciding with school holidays, and involves teenagers undertaking a residential visit in the countryside, gaining a taste of independent living and planning and delivering a “social action” project in their local community,
Those completing the course receive a certificate signed by the prime minister at a graduation ceremony.
The scheme has been taken up by many in Cumbria and our main picture shows Jack Todd from local body Inspira with Georgia Seggie from Brampton, who won the Most Contribution on NCS award, at a 2016 graduation ceremony at Rheged.
Above are John Simpson, NCS area coordinator and NCS graduate Sophie Connolly, 16, from Mawbray near Silloth.
Holding aloft his Most Developed on NCS award is Callum Walton-Stevenson from Carlisle and fellow graduates Thomas Slack, Joseph Bragg, Joe Whitehead, Alex Tolson and Lucy Reynolds are shown with their certificates.
Pictured at a meeting with MP John Stevenson are National Citizen Service students from Caldew School in Dalston, while Olivia Pierce from Bigrigg holds up her certificates.
In 2016, Dave Todd was the National Citizen Service contract manager at Inspira, based in Penrith.
Our final picture shows a National Citizen Service presentation at Caldew School, which was given the title of NCS Champion School.
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