A group of young people in Brent have won an award for a sexual health initiative that they have set up in Stonebridge.

The Brent Young Advisors team scooped the Partnership of the Year title at the national Young Advisors Awards for their scheme which aims to normalise the idea of getting tested regularly.

The advisors, who are aged from 15 to 24, teamed up with sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust to run the project which is run from Hyde’s Pavilion Sports Centre in Stonebridge.

It has transformed the way that young people using the facilities at the Pavilion think about sexual health.

Sabrina Newell, one of the advisors, said: “The boys that play football every week were initially reluctant to talk about sexual health or consider getting tested, but now there is often a queue! “We’ve run more than 20 sessions and completed around 60 tests – it’s not a taboo topic like it used to be.”

The initiative was set up a year ago with the support of Hyde’s community investment team.

Hyde is the housing group that manages a majority of the homes on the Stonebridge Estate.

Jahanara Hussain, Hyde Plus head of community investment said: “I’m delighted that the dedication, enthusiasm, hard work and commitment of the Brent Young Advisors has been recognised at national level.

“Hyde is proud to support this pioneering project that makes a big difference to the lives of our young residents in Brent.’

For more information about the team visit brent.youngadvisors.org.uk.