Hundreds of schoolchildren were given a taste of democracy this week as they were allowed to vote in a special ballot.

Students at The Amersham School in Stanley Hill, Amersham, took part in a ballot to decide where Buckinghamshire County Council spends community cash.

The project is called Amersham Decides and the simple aim of the County Council – via its Local Area Forum (LAF) - is to dish out £10,000 of public money between six worthy causes.

But a key difference to a normal poll is that children aged 11 and upwards can vote alongside adults.

This week, the council’s Locality Services team went into The Amersham School during morning assembly to help the students have their say.

About 600 children were due to be involved during the week at the school. The project, which began at the end of May, continues until July 31.

A similar ballot is also now running in the High Wycombe area, and one has just finished in the Greater Aylesbury area.

Cheryl Gillan, MP for Chesham and Amersham, added her support to the scheme, saying: "During the General Election I was surprised how few of our young people thought that politics was relevant to them.

"I am therefore delighted that we have an initiative in Chiltern which can get young people involved in their community from an early age and show them that their vote really counts and democracy matters."

Martin Phillips, County Council Cabinet Member for Community Engagement and Public Health, added: "Enabling our young people to get involved means that not only do they make a difference with their vote but they also find out about the fantastic work being undertaken by local groups in their area."

For those who don’t wish to go online, ballot boxes will be placed in locations throughout the area Voting is open to residents of parishes in the Amersham local area: Amersham, Chenies, Chesham Bois, Coleshill, Penn. There is one vote per resident/email address.

To find out more about the causes vying for the cash, and for how to vote, go to: www.amershamdecides.com