PICKERING'S Youth Forum has been relaunched - and a bid for £1,000 funding could be the icing on the cake if it is approved at a county council meeting next week.

The forum was first set up in 1995 and ran successfully for five years. But a tragic car crash in October 2000, in which two of the forum's 18 members died and one was seriously injured, brought the group to a temporary halt.

North Yorkshire County Council community education officer Gill Garbutt, who is based at Lady Lumley's School, said: "Pickering Youth Forum could and would never be the same for the members and staff involved. The decision was made to rest the forum - put it on hold until those involved moved on and we could promote new members.

"By this time, the project was being funded by community education. We could focus on a future time - that time is now!"

Gill Garbutt added: "This lets young people have a say in what they want. It's giving them a voice and letting them be part of the community."

Pickering's deputy mayor, Coun Betsy Hill, is backing the bid to revive the forum.

She said: "It's about young people being at the heart of the community and being able to express a view through whatever means they wish.

"I suspect the forum will have a growing voice. The town council took a great interest when it was running before."

It will cost a minimum of £3,000 to run the forum for a year, but only £1,000 of that needs to come from North Yorkshire County Council, which would allow the forum to pay for such things as a residential team-building weekend.

Jill Garbutt said: "That would be the icing on the cake - but the cake would still be there."

Northern Ryedale Community Education is willing to cover staffing costs for sessions with the forum, while more funds will come from Connecting Youth Culture and the Ryedale Detached Youth Work Project.

A total of 14 young people have already come forward to join the forum - including some who were members of the old group - and are planning such things as a skateboard lobby and the adoption of an orphanage project in Belarus - which could mean members of the forum visiting the former Russian state.

The first project is to send out a questionnaire at the start of next term asking young people what they want in their community.

The area committee meeting will be held next Tuesday. Anyone wanting to find out more about the forum - including young people who want to become members - can contact Val Thompson, of Community Education, on (01751) 473209 or youth worker Barry Gilbert on (01751) 477707.

Updated: 11:19 Thursday, March 28, 2002