A TORFAEN teen who is campaigning for homeless youth, is up for a Newport Night of Honour Award.

Suzy Sorby, 19, of Cwmbran , has been nominated for a Youth Champion Award, for her work with Bron Afon Community Housing and charity Fixers, to change people’s misconceptions about young homeless people in the Torfaen area.

Miss Sorby’s nomination comes as one of the last in a series of nominations for the Newport Night of Honour Awards, and she is in for the chance of winning the title at a ceremony on September 22.

The Kings Church has teamed up with Argus for the third year running to find people and organisations that have gone the extra mile to help others.

The eight categories include; the above and beyond award, public service superhero award, parent of the year, volunteer of the year; and community organisation of the year.

The Youth and Community Work student at the University of Wales, Newport, oversees the youth forum at Bron Afon Community Housing Group.

Through her work with the group, she aims to provide affordable housing solutions to many people who may be facing homelessness.

Miss Sorby also decided to create an educational film with charity Fixers, which helps young people campaign on issues that matter to them, to show how tough the reality is for people who find themselves homeless.

Miss Sorby said: “To have been nominated for this award has come as a real shock, but I am really excited about it.”

“Not all people choose to be homeless, and more often than not they become homeless due to changing circumstances.

“Homelessness in the area is misunderstood, as many people think that homeless people have ‘chosen’ or ‘caused’ their homelessness, when this is not always the case.

“I hope that through this film we can really show the reality of homelessness, and how it’s a tough life for homeless people.”

Miss Sorby added: “Through my work with Bron Afon we have been encouraging people to provide equipment for homeless people, but even this is tough.

“We have been on ‘sleep outs’ before to get people experiencing homelessness and to get people thinking about it, but homelessness is tougher than that.

“I hope we can show what a strain it places on someone, and how difficult it can be to return to a “normal” life.”

To see the film visit: http://www.fixers.org.uk/news/6811-11208/out-of-my-hands-film-complete.php