A contest that reveals, recognises and rewards young unsung heroes is being extended to cover the whole of the county.

The YOPEY – Young People Of The Year – scheme has been running in the south of the county for the past two years, saluting star achievers and those who have battled against adversity to better themselves.

It has even won support from Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who has welcomed some of the winners to Downing Street to congratulate them on their achievements.

Young people aged ten to 25 who make a difference and give to others can win cash prizes through the scheme.

There is £2,000 to be won in Bedfordshire, with a top prize of £1,000.
Young winners will give half their prize money to a good cause of their choice, but they will be able to keep the other half.

YOPEY, which also runs in neighbouring counties, has given away £40,000 in prizes in recent years, and is spreading across the county thanks to sponsorship from the Duke of Bedford's Woburn Abbey, alongside Luton IT training company SkillsTrain and the Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity.

This year's YOPEY project is also supported by Bedfordshire County Council and South and Mid Beds district councils, with an awards ceremony hosted at Priory House, Chicksands, in September.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown, praising the scheme, said: "The Young People Of The Year competition is a wonderful celebration of Britain's youth. It is looking for the kind of heroes who live next door, and in the next street, and throughout our neighbourhoods – the kind of heroes other young people might want to become."

The Prime Minister's wife Sarah is also a supporter. During a recent visit to 10 Downing Street by YOPEY winners and Skills Train chief executive Mr Jan Telensky, she said: "Sometimes we forget that the great majority of young people in Britain today are respectful and active members of their local communities.

"Whether they are running sports teams or other clubs, volunteering, being a good neighbour, or doing their bit for people less fortunate than themselves, there are thousands of young people who deserve our thanks and praise."

YOPEY was founded by Tony Gearing, a former national newspaper journalist who grew tired of the bad press young people were getting. He said: "If you believed all the headlines, and sadly many people do, you could think every young person is a binge-drinking, drug-taking, violent hoody. The truth is only a small minority of the younger generation are engaged in anti-social behaviour.

"YOPEY gives the good, vast majority of young people the better, fairer image they deserve by revealing, recognising and rewarding young unsung heroes."

Anyone can nominate a young person for a YOPEY, including young people themselves. To find out more log onto www.yopey.org