A NAVY group are calling for more children to come along to their sessions.

Navy Training Corps meet at King George V Community Centre in Brickfields, aiming to help children learn vital life skills.

The sessions, on Tuesdays from 6.30pm until 8.45pm, are for people aged between eight and 18, whilst most similar groups tend to recruit from 12 instead.

Captain Mark Atkins, who runs the sessions and spent 17 years in the army said: "We are trying to teach life skills, whether that be to help them join the armed forces, or to help them get a job in the future.

"It is better for them to be here learning skills, rather than sitting at home watching TV or hanging out on the street.

"We want to install a sense of discipline and we create a training syllabus so every week they are learning something different, in this session for example, we are teaching them how to care for a foot injury.

"At the moment we have about 20 (children) but we could take 50 or 60, the more the better as it helps to have a larger group.

"We recruit from younger than most similar groups, which tend to start at 12, as we think that it helps to give them this experience before their teenage years."

A first taster session is free, and thereafter it is £2.50 a night.

The group also go for camping weekends once a month outside of Worcester, at a cost of £25.

The group, which costs £6,000 each year, is run charity funded and the group take part in activities including bag packing to raise money.

For more information, contact Captain Atkins on 07803494858 or atkins8388@gmail.com