The Free Press is celebrating our area's unsung heroes. We want to give due recognition to the people who have given invaluable time and effort to help others. This week reporter Lia Hind meets a community minded young man Seventeen-year-old Chepstow Comprehensive pupil, Billy Ward, decided to become a volunteer at Chepstow Mencap around six months ago because he felt compelled to "give something back" to his community.

The keen musician who is currently taking his A levels, says volunteering at the Berkeley Centre has proved to be one of the most enjoyable yet challenging roles of his young life so far.

He said: "The environment is fantastic and it's amazing how many laughs we have. It's a friendly atmosphere and it's so rewarding to see how much your time with the service users means to them."

With his mother, Julie, working as the centre's administrator, he was aware of how challenging the role would be but says it has helped him gain a maturer outlook on life.

He said: "It has helped me grow up a lot and has taught me about being more patient and understanding. I think more people my age should get involved in volunteering because it's great experience and certainly helps with employment prospects too."

If he wasn't busy enough with exams and volunteering at the Berkeley Centre, Billy has also been working hard on his ambition to work in stage management which he has recently been accepted to study at Gloucester University this September.

He was responsible for stage managing last year's highly successful Chepstow Comprehensive's Senior Showcase and is currently working on the school's forthcoming musical production, Fame, which will run between 7-9 February.

Do you know a champ?

Our community champion feature celebrates those who do so much yet are so often taken for granted.

From the tireless charity worker and neighbourhood bobby, through to the dedicated nurse and popular postie - we want to highlight them all and we need your help. If you know a community champion and would like to see them featured in a forthcoming edition of the Free Press, please let us know.

You can drop us an email at chepstow@freepressseries.co.uk