A GROUP of Tavistock youngsters are to be honoured at a county-wide awards evening being held in the town later this month.

The Devon Crimebeat Awards are due to be held at Tavistock College this year ? and members of the town?s youth council will be picking up one of the prestigious awards for their work in trying to set up a youth café.

Tavistock Youth Café Project will receive the community safety award, sponsored by McDonald?s. The award is one of four being presented on the night ? the others are the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary Crime Reduction/Prevention award; the HSBC Outstanding Achievement award and the High Sheriff?s cup for the Devon Crimebeat national nominee.

The awards evening is to be opened by the High Sheriff of Devon, Philip Tuckett, of Sydenham Damerel. The event will also include entertainment from an African drumming band and a drama production by students from Tavistock College.

The Lord Lieutenant of Devon, Eric Dancer, has been invited to attend, as has the Countess of Devon, who is due to take over as the High Sheriff of Devon the day after the awards ceremony.

The groups nominated for the awards and the eventual winners were chosen following a meeting of the Crimebeat management committee, chaired by the high sheriff.

Other youth groups winning awards on the night are the Treads Junk Converters project from Barnstaple, the Outyouth group from Plymouth, a drugs CD-rom project from a Plymouth University student and the Girlzone group from Holsworthy.

The Devon Crimebeat Awards 2004 takes place at 7.30pm on Monday March 22.