A YOUTH organisation is to be featured on national television this month for their work during the pandemic.

Young people who have benefitted from the services of the Blackburn Youth Zone were interviewed by the ITV tonight programme in late June.

When the Covid-19 crisis hit in March 2020 Blackburn Youth Zone adapted quickly to ensure they were continuing to meet the needs of the children and young people locally and have supported 858 young people throughout the crisis.

There have been concerns relating to mental health, emotional well-being, social isolation and concerns within the home during the lockdown period.

The interviews were co-ordinated by the Head of Operations Leon Crosby and took place in Mill Hill, and Audley Range in Blackburn.

The interviews focused on how Blackburn Youth Zone has supported young people through the pandemic, focusing on mental health and well being.

The organisation also spoke to 354 young people during May, through phone calls, social media surveys and Zoom youth club sessions, where 67 percent of young people stated they had struggled through the crisis and had benefited from the support.

The youth zone has worked with Blackburn Young People’s Services in the distribution of 10,120 meals to members of the community.

One of the young people featured, Paige Heighway said: “It was fun being interviewed.

“I enjoyed talking about my lockdown experience and the youth zone has helped me with my bad days where I don’t want to do anything, it helped me forget about lockdown and gave me something to look forward to.

The interviews with young people will be aired on ITV Tonight, on July 16 at 7.30pm.