Carlisle singer songwriter Mikey Bromfield was back in the county and joined by fellow members of Only the Young to surprise some of the 15, 16 and 17-year-olds taking part in the latest wave of the National Citizen Service (NCS) scheme during the summer.
The teenagers are the latest to embark on the government-backed personal development scheme.
Their first week of the scheme, run in Cumbria by the Penrith-based social enterprise Inspira, is an outdoor adventure residential stay in Howtown. Band members Mikey, Betsy, Charlie and Parisa joined the school-leavers from Carlisle and Eden during a canoe lesson before performing their one-off gig.
It proved to be a world away from their usual daily life which currently consists of supporting bands like Little Mix and McBusted in concert and playing at Capital FM’s Summertime Ball. The four-piece sang five chart hits acoustically including Katy Perry’s Roar, Avicii’s Wake Me Up, How We Do by Rita Ora, and a mash-up of One Republic’s Counting Stars with Miley Cyrus’ Wrecking Ball.
Mikey said: “I’ve had an awesome time this week thanks to NCS and the teens of Carlisle and Eden. I got the chance to do things I’ve never done before and met some great people.
“Me and the other band members had such a laugh, particularly when sitting on the jetty encouraging the NCS youths to jump into the freezing cold water – dreading that we then had to do it the following day.”
Vicky Lowney, from Inspira, said: “It was amazing to have Only the Young share our experience.
“The young people on NCS were absolutely delighted with the impromptu gig as well.”
NCS is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for 15-17 year-olds in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The full-time programme helps young people build skills for work and life, while taking on new challenges, meeting new friends and contributing to their community.
Week two involves the teenagers living together and learning to live independently. They are also encouraged to complete a 30-hour project to benefit the local community.
NCS will also be running an autumn scheme during the October school holiday.
Read the original article by the News & Star here.
