THE Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Gwent has visited a group of young people from Blaenau Gwent who feature in a new fashion and photography project which has made headlines across the world.

Children from the area feature in the 'It’s Called Ffasiwn' project through the Brynfarm and Coed Cae Interact youth groups, learning skills including sewing, clothes customisation and styling, while teaming up with photographers Clémentine Schneidermann and Charlotte James for a photoshoot that has been published in publications including Vogue.

Donna Wallbank, the co-founder of the two groups spoke of her pride at last month’s official opening of a photography exhibition of the works.

She said: “The pride I feel every time I am with the young people is just like that of parent watching their own child grow.

“Seeing the effort they put in, knowing how they trust us to take them out of their comfort zones, how they inspire us encourages me to find their next activity. When I saw in the gallery those wonderful pictures, I burst with pride, I shed a tear and I knew that making that difference is what is important.

Mr Cuthbert said after the event: “It is overwhelming to listen to the young people here today and to hear the pride in their voices at what they have achieved.

“Unfortunately, young people from our more deprived areas in Gwent are often stereotyped and expectations for them can be low.

“This group have shown, not just to us in Gwent, but to people around the world, that our youngsters can achieve outstanding results given some support and belief.”

The exhibition is available to the public until May 25, 2019 at the Martin Parr Foundation in Bristol.

For more information, visit www.martinparrfoundation.org