A LAVISH awards ceremony in the style of the Oscars is being thrown to celebrate the achievements of young people in Brent.

Brent was one of ten councils in the country to be handed a £15,000 government grant, and it decided to put on the awards evening to highlight the good work of young people in the borough.

Organisers are now looking for nominations of young people in 14 different categories for the awards.

Manveen Patwalia, principal youth participation manager for Brent Council, said this event was a chance to show the positive work of the borough's youth rather than focusing on negative stories.

She said: “We wanted to celebrate young people's achievements and recognise their talents. It is about anybody who has done something good in their life.

“This is a very diverse borough and a lot goes on that doesn't get any coverage or become high profile.

“We need to get better at showcasing the good stuff that young people do.”

The evening, to be held on Saturday, February 7, will be in the style of the world-famous movie awards ceremony, with a red carpet entrance and trophies given to all the winners.

There will be a dinner and dance, and Ms Patwalia said they wanted to make it a big celebration for the young people.

She said: “This is a very ambitious project and a tall order, but we decided to put in a bid, and we got the money.

“The idea is to have people who really believe in young people coming along, making it a real celebration of their achievements.”

Councillor Paul Lorber, leader of Brent Council, is one of the dignitaries invited to the event, and he was supportive of the work being done to promote young people in Brent.

He said: “There is a disproportionate amount of bad headlines which tend to focus on a very small minority and ignore the great majority of young people who are perfectly fine and do lots of positive work.

“I am extremely supportive of all the good work being done and the exciting things young people get up to.”

To nominate someone for one of the fourteen awards, email byp@brent.gov.uk or call Ms Patwalia on 020 8937 3074.

Nominations close on Friday, January 23.