It was my privilege to be at the Brookfield Hotel in Emsworth on Wednesday of this week, with the nine House Captains, two School Council reps from Year 6 and Mrs de Salis, to join with 30 other children and young people from Emsworth Primary, Warblington and Glenwood Schools. Also represented were the Emsworth Community Board, the County Council and other local community organizations.

The Emsworth Youth Conference was organised to canvas the views of young people over the future of the town in which they live and to help them develop a vision for the future of Emsworth. Throughout it all, the children showed amazing maturity and thoughtfulness. They demonstrated a real appreciation of this town, while recognizing that it could be improved. Above all, they were challenged to consider how they, as individuals, families and as groups, can make a real difference in their corner of planet Earth.