AN ANNUAL awards scheme has once again helped youngsters hone their leadership skills.

The Rotary Young Leadership Award (RYLA) is its 19th year.

It’s an opportunity for young people to improve their skills in business, leadership, team building.

Funded by the Rotary Club, the project has seen more than 600 young people take part over the years.

Activities include climbing, canoeing, mountain rescue, raft building and raft racing.

Maisie Evans and James Wiggins gave talk about their experiences on the four-day RYLA course to a meeting of Borderland Rotary Club.

Maisie said “It gave me a chance to reassess my skills and abilities and focus on the positives” while James confided that “I think it really helped my confidence in general but my budgeting in particular!”