STUDENTS from Worcester and Droitwich have been telling other schools how their community projects have fared at a national conference.

Elgar Technology College and Droitwich High School were both awarded cash grants from the Barclays New Futures awards last year to carry out citizenship projects.

They reviewed their projects one year on in front of students from Oxfordshire, Preston, Leicestershire, Norfolk and the West Midlands.

At the conference at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Birmingham they presented the successes they have achieved and difficulties they have faced in creating the project.

Elgar Technology College students were awarded £7,000 last year to work with partner schools to develop a peer support project.

The students received training in how to resolve conflicts in and out of the classroom before acting as peer mentors to other pupils in each school.

The aim of the project was to reduce bullying within the school and raise standards.

"If the children can do this themselves, it's more likely to stand the test of time," said Chris Drew, head of Year 7 at the school.

"We're halfway through the project and at the stage where children have almost finished their initial training.

"We're now looking for volunteers for further training to act as mediators or counsellors."

Year 9 pupils at Droitwich High School used their £3,000 award to organise events for members of the school and the local community.

They organised a Christmas party for senior citizens, a citizenship conference in the spring term and this term there has been a "healthy lifestyle" day.

They aimed to address issues relating to young people and their local communities and to develop links with older members of the community.

Barclays New Futures awards are open to any school in the UK who would like to prove their commitment to their community.

They are run in collaboration with Community Service Volunteers.