A NEW recruit to Blackburn Youth Zone’s Young Leaders programme has called on businesses and residents to back our campaign.

The Lancashire Telegraph wants to train 100 teen leaders to help their community by raising £60,000.

Abdul Noor, from Daisyfield, proved an Ironman last year when he lifted and pulled a Volkswagen Beetle at the £6 million state-of-the-art facility, in Jubilee Street, Blackburn.

Now he wants to become a role model for youngsters to look up to.

The 18-year-old said: “This place has given me so much and the Young Leaders programme will give me the skills to help out.

“People should support this appeal because of all the good stuff we are doing. We are trying to give back to the community and that should be our priority. Hopefully we will get more young people involved with the programme.”

Abdul started attending the Youth Zone a year ago after becoming intrigued by its facilities. He admits using the gym for 50p a session was the reason he became a member.

But he said: “I got to know more people and I got closer to them. It’s like becoming a family.”

Abdul applied for the Young Leaders programme after realising he wanted to work with younger people. Although he is new to the programme, he has enjoyed what he has seen of it so far.

He said: “The qualification will look good on my CV. I have got so much from the Zone and it will be good to give something back.

“Being a role model changes the way you act. I already feel more responsible, and even my language changes around young people.”

Blackburn Youth Zone’s chief executive, Peter Little, said a lot of young people are attracted to the facility by its ‘great facilities’.

He said: “But having done that, young people want the town to be a better place. “It soon moves on to ‘what else can we do?’ “That’s the point. We have got a lot of young people who are looking for a chance to do something positive in their town.

“It’s about how you want to live your life and what sort of community you want to live in. ”