STAFF at the Manchester office of accountants Pricewater houseCoopers (PwC) can take a bow after the firm won a community award for helping to make a difference to the lives of hundreds of youngsters.

PwC ran a two-year project with the city's Royal Exchange Theatre to encourage young people to watch shows and take part in creative workshops and performances. Only a handful of the 400 participants had been to the theatre before joining the scheme.

Now PwC has won a Big Difference prize for its community education inititative. The awards were run by The Big Life Company, which is behind the Big Issue, and were backed by the Northwest Regional Development Agency.

David McKeith, PwC's senior partner in the north west, said: "We're delighted to have won an award in recognition of the project at the Royal Exchange.

"Supporting the local community has always been high on our agenda and we have many more projects planned for the coming months."