Three hundred youngsters from Kingston and across the world are hoping to brighten up the borough this week with six days of community and environmental activities.

Graffiti is being wiped clean, gardens tidied and sports coaching offered as part of the Soul in the City initiative, organised by nine Kingston churches.

The scheme aims to paint a more positive image of young people and gives a chance for participants to put their religious faith into action.

The activities began at Christ Church in New Malden on Monday morning, where up to 150 local youngsters got together with 150 young people from across the country and as far afield as America.

Following prayers, the participants, aged between 14 and 30, split up to take part in separate activities in Surbiton, Kingston and New Malden, set to run until Saturday.

In Surbiton, a group is working with the police to help clear rubbish from the streets in Berrylands and running events for mothers and toddlers.

The Kingston group is setting up youth clubs and carrying out random acts of kindness, such as carrying people's shopping bags in the town centre.

And in New Malden the youngsters have set up an evening jazz club, are offering to polish commuters' shoes and are firing up a barbecue in the High Street.

The events will culminate in the summer breeze fair, including bouncy castles, face painters and entertainers, in Fishponds Park in Surbiton on Saturday.

Soul in the City is a pan-London project organised by 750 of the capital's churches involving 10,000 young people working on community improvement projects.

It was inspired by a successful scheme carried out in Manchester in 2000, where 11,000 young people undertook work in the city.

The Kingston scheme is being co-ordinated by Norbiton Christian youth club Oxygen.

Club director Richard James said: "It's to make people know that we are here and we care about them unconditionally, whatever they think about what we believe."

Neil Beckett, youth and community worker at Surbiton Community Church, is co-ordinating the Surbiton group.

He said he hoped the scheme would bring a feel good factor to local communities and said there was a real buzz among the volunteers.

He added: "It's about the churches showing they are not just there on a Sunday in a building but we want to do stuff for the local community."

Michelle Hutchings, director of Berrylands Residential in Chiltern Drive, said she had seen a group of Soul in the City youngsters at Berrylands station yesterday morning, shining people's shoes.

She said: "They were getting a good reaction from the public. Everyone is friendly round here anyway. If I get a spare minute I might get my shoes shined."

sbrody@london.newsquest.co.uk