A GROUP of youngsters dedicated to stamping out crime and cleaning up their neighbourhood are the pride of Bolton today.

Wacky Cleaners, a 45-strong group, picked up the top prize in their category at the Nationwide Awards for Voluntary Endeavour in London yesterday.

The group was praised for its work in transforming a once crime-plagued council estate in Darcy Lever.

With the award comes a cheque and vouchers to spend on community projects, worth a total of £3,750.

There to pick up the honour was single mother Teresa Bolton, aged 33, and her daughter Jessica, 13, of Long Lane, Darcy Lever, and community outreach worker Victoria Worthington.

The award is a particular triumph for Teresa, who with her friend, mother-of-three Dawn Edwards, aged 37, of Beechcroft Avenue, took the first steps in tackling the estate's problems more than five years ago.

Surrounded by decay and neglect, she began to fear for the safety of her daughter and when children started finding drug addicts' discarded needles in the streets she knew she had to do something.

With their children, the two mothers started to clean up the areas around their homes. Soon it became a regular event and others asked if they could join in. Eventually Wacky Cleaners was formed.

Today crime is down, the graffiti has gone and the drug addicts have moved elsewhere.

Teresa, who is also chairman of the residents' association, said: "Five years ago no-one wanted to live here. Now it's a nice place again. The group is mostly youngsters but others join in as well. This award is for all of them."

Her daughter, Jessica, said:" It's changed people's behaviour. They used to do the graffiti, now they clean it up."

From humble beginnings, the group's work has grown. It has a philosophy of caring for others, the environment and animals and its members are given lessons in First Aid and personal safety. Their fund raising efforts have helped to provide a children's play area and a skateboard park.

The Nationwide awards, sponsored by the Newspaper Society, are presented to individuals and groups who have made an outstanding contribution to their local community.

Bolton Evening News editor Steve Hughes, who was among the guests, said: "Teresa and her Wacky Cleaners have made a real difference to their community. This award will help them to carry on their good work."

Eileen McNulty from the East Bolton Regeneration partnership, which has supplied the group with grants, said: "The Wacky Cleaners should all be really proud of themselves."