A group of young people from the surrounding area are working with Stansted Airport to shape how it interacts with the community.

The new Stansted Airport Youth Forum, developed by the airport's community team, brings together young people age 16-25 to provide feedback on the airport's current community work, as well as offering suggestions for future initiatives.

Participating students will meet quarterly, and either live, or attend college or sixth form within a 15-mile radius of the airport.

In the first session they discussed Manchester Airport Group's (MAG) 'working together for a brighter future' strategy, and how initiatives such as the airport's colleague volunteering programme benefit the local community.

The group also heard a presentation on the future airspace change programme and gave feedback on the consultation plans.

Daniel Burford, the airport's community engagement manager, said the forum aims to help young people come together and share their opinions on issues that matter to them.

He said: "We are very excited by the potential of the new Stansted Airport Youth Forum.

"We see it as a vitally important tool to be used to open and encourage a two-way conversation between the young people who live in the area.

"It is important for us to understand the viewpoints of those who represent the future, and I am sure that young people are eager to have their say on how the airport interacts with the local community.

"We are still looking for young people who are interested in joining the Forum, so if you are between the ages of 16 and 25, please contact community@stanstedairport.com for more information."

The scheme is part of the recently launched MAG Connect programme, which aims to educate and inspire people of all ages about the opportunities a career in education can provide.

MAG Connect is replicated across two other airports under the same group - Manchester and East Midlands.

Over the next 12 months, the three airports plan to support the education of 12,000 young people and provide pre-employment training programmes for jobseekers .

They are also launching writing competitions for Key Stage 2 and 3 students.