A TEAM of eight young people from Henshaw College in Harrogate have been honoured for their commitment to volunteering in the field of arts.

The team, called the The Buskers Group, received the accolade for the Yorkshire and Humberside Region at an awards ceremony in Leeds.

The group consists of students with various disabilities. They first formed for a musical performance in Harrogate, to raise awareness of young people with visual impairment or disability.

Holding the performance on the International Day Of Disabled persons, the group raised a total of £900, which they invested in a fellow student's leisure programme.

The Buskers Group practise constantly throughout the year and have shown high levels of professionalism in order to reach the standard of good public entertainers. Most of the team did not have previous musical ability, but have widened their own knowledge of music through Millennium Volunteers. The volunteers have also gained skills in event management and planning public performances within their community.

The group continue to raise money and volunteer for their local community and they have set their sights on recording their work.

Team member James Butcher said: "I love volunteering so much because I love music and performing. I have learned so much and my skills and confidence appearing in front of the public have improved. My favourite part of volunteering is not only that I am having fun, but also helping others."

Ivan Lewis, the Minister for Skills and Vocational Education, said the Millennium Volunteer of the Year Awards recognised volunteers who had shown exceptional levels of dedication, achievement and personal development.

"The contributions of over 176,000 young people who have become Millennium Volunteers have made a real difference to people's lives across England," he said. "The award winners should be proud of their achievements."

Updated: 11:40 Wednesday, April 06, 2005