WORKSHOPS to encourage young people to write about what they love have been a huge success.

Southend rapper Sonny Green, 24, has been running spoken word workshops called Trouble Tongues, which sees 11 to 16 year olds inspired to write about what the love about the Southend borough.

The workshops have been held at Folded Space in Southend, with the group going out and about depending on what inspires them.

They were set up in response to high levels of knife crime in the borough.

Mr Green said: "It's been a huge success, our last week will be next week, but it's definitely something we want to carry on in the future.

"Some weeks we've had 20 people, some it's been five or six, averaging at around ten people.

"Getting outside is great for people with social anxiety who may not want to go out normally, but feel confident to do so with Trouble Tongues.

"It's been really great to break those boundaries and get people out to different places.

"The workshops help in giving people structure for their ideas. Sometimes its us guiding them, sometimes we lead off them.

"They have the ideas and then we give them the infrastructure to build their words and writing.

"It's been really inspiring to see and I'm really proud of how well the workshops have gone."

Visit www.troubletonguescic.com.