A CHARITY which supports young refugees has been awarded £85,000.

The Act For Change Fund granted the Hummingbird Refugee Project funding for its Young Leaders programme, which trains young refugees in public speaking.

The Brighton-based charity set up the programme in 2017 as a partnership with TEDxBrighton and the Hummingbird Young Leaders have since spoken in front of thousands of people, including MPs.

One of the issues they campaign for is more humane treatment of refugees during the asylum process, as the current system can leave people waiting for years to hear whether they can stay in the UK.

Elaine Ortiz, the charity’s founder said: “The voices of the young people we work with deserve to be heard. They have a huge part to play in the future of our politics and society.

“Our young leaders have already made a huge difference to the representation, visibility and voices of young refugees. We can’t wait to see what more they go on to achieve.”