A youth music project which has helped hundreds of youngsters, including The Voice singer Jamie Johnson, has closed after almost 10 years.

Training Them Live (TTL) offered Medway teenagers the chance to work with professional musicians and gain money-can’t-buy experiences.

The project began after a chance meeting between a Metropolitan Police officer and a Medway music teacher.

Sgt Chris Ellen met Dan Wise, then head of music at Greenacre Academy in Walderslade, after a particularly bad day dealing with youths on the streets of London.

Dan, who plays in a band, had also had a bad day with children, and together they came up with the idea of using music to get youngsters interested, and build their self-esteem.

TTL was born, leading to summer schools, rock workshops, concerts and gigs. Youngsters were given the chance to perform on the local music scene with professional musicians.

They could also learn stage skills such as lighting, sound and special effects, and how to manage a band.

TTL was instrumental in the first Under Siege concert in Rochester in 2008, after being approached by Medway Council, and has continued to play a key part in the annual event, when acts perform on the Castle Concerts stage to an audience of thousands.

The concert helped The Voice finalist Jamie Johnson break into the music scene. Mr Wise said the decision to close was a difficult one.

He added: “We were fearful that if we carried on we would not be doing things well. As a volunteer organisation, delivering an effective operation while offering a high-quality experience for young people requires a capacity that we can no longer guarantee.”

Mr Wise said the project has helped young people build their confidence and reach their potential.

“The early days of the project had simple aims of tackling anti-social behaviour,” he said.

“But as it evolved, it developed a wealth of exciting strands fuelled by both the brilliant talents of the young people we worked with and also the army of adult supporters and volunteers. Under Siege, Rock Schools, TTLgigs and TTLmedia have all given so many valuable vocational experiences to hundreds of young people.”