DOUBLE Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes visited a pilot scheme in Harrow to teach skills to teenagers to improve their communities this afternoon.

Charity V and the Dame Kelly Legacy Trust, along with Harrow Council, are running the eight-week National Citizen Service scheme this summer.

The scheme aims to give young people the chance to gain skills and experience they need for life after school.

During the visit, the 15 participants talked to Ms Holmes of their experiences. So far they have attended two week-long residential visits to develop team-building skills before planning social action projects where the group will look to tackle the issue of homelessness in the area.

Dame Holmes said: “None of these kids knew each other when they got together for this and they get to meet new people, they learn from each other’s experiences and realize they are often going through the same things.

“This gives them direction, something to think about what they want to do, promotes teamwork, self-confidence and motivation.

“It’s also a lot of fun but they are learning these vital skills and what they need is this type of structured environment to work with to help them with the choices they make further on.”

Terry Ryall, chief executive of V, said: “There are a number of features to this programme. The young people are from different backgrounds, they work together and they learn about each other. These are all very vital lessons and this gives them the opportunity to apply these skills.

“The tasks they do they won’t find ordinarily in their daily lives so it challenges them and that is definitely something that is needed at their age.

“The youth workers that are with them through this guide them with these tasks and they work with each other to find self-confidence and learn to work as a team.”

Councillor Mitzi Green, the council's portfolio holder for children’s services, said: “It’s an absolutely superb scheme with the backing of Dame Kelly Holmes.

“I think it has been a positive, inspiring experience for the children. I was impressed by how engaged they were and of course as they have been working together they have gelled as a group and that is a really positive thing.”

Vivek Patel, 16, is one of the first to experience the National Citizen Service. He said: “It has been a great experience helping the community in ways such as gardening, helping the homeless and many other exciting things.

“I would definitely recommend to anyone in the future.”

To raise awarenessness of homelessness the teenagers will be sleeping rough tonight as a group in Harrow town centre.

Richmond Amoah, 16, said: “The experience has been great and also meeting Kelly Holmes. We are going out tonight to be in the town centre and sleep rough.

"We’ll be together so it won’t be exactly the same experience as someone who really has to do this but we will get a general idea of what it is like. I think we all get on well and have learnt a lot.”