A Rae of local sunshine in national ad campaign

Rae Griffiths is one of 20 NCS participants chosen from thousands of young people across the UK to take appear in the advert for the flagship youth programme.

17-year-old Rae completed NCS - a four-week part-residential programme which focuses on helping 16 and 17-year-olds learn practical skills, make new friends and take on exciting challenges - last summer. Rae and her team raised funds for their local Ashgate Hospice during this time, which led to Rae’s promotion to NCS Leader.

Rae, a student at Tupton Hall sixth form, said: “I was so excited to be chosen for the advert. It was a great opportunity to meet up with my NCS friends and share another amazing experience together.

“I thoroughly enjoyed getting to see what happens behind the scenes of an advert and all the hard work that goes into it. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I will never forget.”

The two day filming took place in London, led by Creative Director Giorgio Testi, whose credits include working with The Rolling Stones, Adele and Converse. The advert shows friends from NCS being reunited to relive their experiences through 360° projections of footage filmed during the programme. It is being shown on ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky, as well as in cinemas, until mid-March.

Sarah Hartley, National Marketing Manager for NCS at Ingeus, said: “It is fabulous to have one of our graduates involved in this exciting advertising campaign.

“Like hundreds of other young people that come through NCS each year, Rae came out of the programme feeling empowered and eager to spread the word.

“From abseiling and rock climbing to living away from home to running your own community project, this campaign brings to life what NCS is all about through the voices of the young people that have transformed their own lives through the NCS programme. We hope it will encourage teens to sign up for this year’s programme, which is set to be our biggest yet.”

More than 200,000 young people have taken part in the government-backed programme since it started in 2011. Visit visit www.ncsingeus.co.uk for details.