MUSICAL youths were put in a spin by DJing sessions aimed at filling their summers.

The sessions, which have been backed by Gloucestershire police, will run for six weeks and give would-be DJs a chance to mix, write lyrics and record a track from start to finish.

Professional DJ Nathan McDonald said the discipline helped keep youngsters occupied and off the streets.

The 26-year-old, who started DJing when he was 14, said: "It kept me on the straight and narrow. I have seen an awful lot of people getting into trouble.

"This engages people and when you get into the scene there is a lot going on. It's a means of meeting other people. It opens up a whole new world."

The DJ says Hester's Way has an unfair label, which means some people write off young people from the area before they have met them.

"I would like to think this will help give a positive image," he added.

Among those who turned up for the first session was Hayley Cull. The 15-year-old, from Princess Elizabeth Way, said: "It's a new skill to learn and it's something to do in the summer. There is a lack of things to do in Hester's Way in the summer.

"Some of the kids just run the streets and get into trouble."

She says the sessions are also a good way of building a relationship with police officers.

She said: "It shows you they are not just people who go around arresting people.

"I know half of them so I feel I could go to them if I had a problem."

Scott Everall, 19, added: "If you like it then it keeps people out of trouble and it's something to get into."

The course, which is also being backed by Gloucestershire Youth Service, is held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Oasis Youth Centre, in Princess Elizabeth Way, throughout the summer holidays and is open to anyone aged between 12 and 19. PCSO Jenny Bellis, of Hester's Way Safer Community Team, said: "Young people in Hester's Way have always expressed an interest in urban music and dance.

"It's brilliant that we now have a place they can go to channel their energies, while learning from the experts.

"It is also a great opportunity to get to know more people in the area and help with questions or concerns they may have about policing in their community."