HEROIC, dedicated and outstanding county youngsters were due to be honoured today with special awards.

West Mercia Police was to reward 21 youngsters with Good Citizen Awards after approaching schools for their nominations.

The winners include 15-year-old Alex Chidgey, from Pershore High School, who is a member of a counselling team and a volunteer at a club for children with Downs Syndrome.

Five 13-year-old girls from Worcester's Elgar High School, who have regularly raised school funds through a tuck shop, were also being honoured.

Ten-year-old Richard Harvey and 11-year-old Matthew Sheen were both due to pick up an award. The boys, from St Joseph's RC Primary School in Worcester, noticed a syringe near Warndon Clinic and reported it so it could be safely disposed of.

Eco-friendly Carl Cox, aged 18, is being honoured for his dedicated work in helping younger pupils learn about the environment. Carl, who gives up his breaks for the project, has made presentations to national environmental campaigner Jonathan Porritt and Greenpeace.

Anna Fox, 11, was due to pick up her award after befriending a girl with cerebral palsy and helping her throughout the school day and on trips.

The awards, in their 14th year, were set up by West Mercia police and honour youngsters throughout Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin.

They are judged by a panel of police and local authority representatives and will be presented in a ceremony at West Mercia Headquarters today.

The winners were also to receive a certificate, a lapel badge and £10 cash donation to the charity of their choice.

"This has been an exceptional year," said Sgt John Dickinson, who is co-ordinating the awards.

"We only usually have between 30 and 40 nominations in total, but this year we have had 21 just in Worcestershire."