Sunderland's Youth Almighty project urges youngsters to stay at home

That is the message from The Youth Almighty Project, which has issued a heartfelt plea to its young people to help prevent the spread of coronavirus as an initial three-week lockdown begins.

The award-winning group, which runs activities in Silksworth, Barnes and Plains Farm, has written a direct appeal to those who join in its sessions.

In a Facebook post, it said: “The time has come for you to follow the strict instructions by the Government not to go out and socialise, we are sure you have built up trusting relationships with our staff and volunteers and we hope you trust us this time that we would not say this unless we meant it.

“From the bottom of hearts, please please please trust us on this, do not come out of your home unless you absolutely need to and in line with Government guidelines.

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“We understand as adults this is bewildering to you, this is to us, we have never in all of our lifetimes seen anything like this, this is not a dress rehearsal, this is real and it will have a devastating impact for years to come, you have to do your bit to protect yourself but most importantly your loved ones, the people you rely upon when you're not with us or at school.

“Please heed this warning, it's in your hands, do the right thing, stay at home.

“If you need any help or advice we are still here, you know how to contact us, use the technology you are all experts in.

“We look forward to seeing you all when we are able to open our doors again for you, stay safe.”

Following an announcement this week by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, people have been told they should only leave their homes to collect necessities such as food and medicine, with trips out as infrequent as possible.

People can also take one form of exercise a day, such as a run, walk or cycle, alone or with members of their household.

People can go out for medical needs or to assist a vulnerable person, or to travel for work, if this cannot be done from home.