WEST Devon groups and individuals were recognised for their voluntary work during a special awards evening held in Lewdown last week. The awards were presented by West Devon Neighbourhood Watch community safety team to mark the wide variety of schemes and projects carried out by volunteers in support of young people in the borough. They were presented by West Devon Police Inspector Kara Sherwood-Davies, Crime Reduction Officer Angie Frost and chairman of West Devon Neighbourhood Watch Colin Harris, . PC Frost said: ?These people have all done that little bit more than the average and spent many hours raising money to get their projects off the ground. ?They are all everyday people, many of whom have full-time jobs, but volunteer their time, sometimes for hours a week. ?Some groups have made as many as 50 or 60 applications for funding, just to get two or three grants.? Collecting an award for Horrabridge Youth Club were Benjamin Goodman and Clayton Mitchelmore. The village youth club has been re-organised recently, offering activities for young people between the ages of eleven and 16. Run with the support of volunteers, Tavistock Area Youth network and Devon Youth Services, the club is totally youth-led and hopes to organise day and residential trips in addition to normal activities such as football, pool and table tennis. Oak Road Residents? Group in Okehampton was awarded a citation for their hard work in transforming the area, which had been plagued by anti-social behaviour. Supported by West Devon?s crime prevention officer and the community safety partnership, the group is now in the final stages of fundraising to build a play area for youngsters. Their award was collected by Adrian Burbridge and John Gliddon. David Johnson and Oliver Burrows collected a citation on behalf of Tavistock Youth Café project. The youth cafe steering group has raised more than £100,000 to get the facility up and running, after a survey carried out by the group revealed a need for youngsters to have their own place to ?hang out?. Totally youth-led, the youth café is supported by dedicated volunteers and with the backing of many adult organisations. Lewdown Cricket Club?s coaching and youth management team were presented with a citation for their dedicated work in encouraging youngsters to take up the sport. The club, which is celebrating its 100th birthday this year, has around 50 members under the age of 18 ? it also has a brand new sports pavillion, much of the funding of which was raised locally. Collecting the award were Eileen Worth and Keith Wonnacott. And the High Moorland Activity Centre at Princetown has also been awarded a citation for its work. The centre has a creche, playgroup, youth club, IT suite and even a police office ? dedicated. Funds are currently being raised for a new building within the village. The centre is due to receive its award at a later date. Also presented during the evening were the 2005 Crimestoppers Young Citizen of the Year Awards. Overall winner of the title was Okehampton College student Richard Mortimore, who received a certificate and a cheque from the chairman of Devon and Cornwall Crimestoppers, Bob Widdecombe. Richard was nominated for the award by the late Chris Powell, Okehampton College principal, and Okehampton?s county councillor Christine Marsh. Richard has been involved in voluntary work since he was eleven. He has worked at Castle Drogo and has been involved in youth cricket and rugby ? he also volunteered to help with the clean up following the devastating floods at Boscastle last year. Runner-up was Naomi Wardle, a student at Tavistock College. Naomi has been a Millennium volunteer, carrying out a variety of voluntary works since 2000. She helps teach young people music and organises charity concerts ? she was nominated for the award by her class tutor.