Last night I attended a fashion show put on my four young students from a local comprehensive school. In October 2007 two of the present team set up a Young Enterprise company within the school to produce custom clothing for initially friends and later teams and local businesses. I was one of the two YE volunteer business advisers who helped them get off the ground. The company had a managing director and a creative director but struggled initially to get others to commit to managerial roles. They now have a team of four working well together.

Last night was a triumph. The company has gone from strength and a selection of the orders they have recently received were modelled. The show was in aid of cancer research and was attended by about 200 people.

I have also been involved with another school locally where all the students I encountered we polite, interesting and talented. Surrey Chambers of Commerce have set up a Young Chamber in this school and it is working well.

As a counsellor I also see a proportion of young people ranging in age from 5 to early twenties. Again, although they come with difficult issues which are troubling them, they are without exception excellent young people with very special talents and a desire to overcome their problems and succeed in life.

We are so ready in Britain to put down our young people and complain about them. We never read about the clever and successful ones in the newspapers or hear them on radio or TV. Obviously bad kids are good news in that they sell papers and attract viewers and listeners. So I would like to raise a rousing cheer for all those young people out there who are doing a wonderful job and who are our future.