YOUNG Muslims from Halesowen will be competing with one another in the hope of winning a national prize.

The town’s Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association is hosting various competitions including a public speaking contest and general knowledge test which will be judged by a panel.

Sports competitions such as football, cricket, arm wrestling and table tennis will also feature in the activities-packed programme being held on January 25 and 26 at the Long Lane Mosque.

The gathering, known as an ‘Ijtema', is held annually in more than100 Ahmadiyya branches around the country and officially kick starts the year for the group which has more than 7,000 members nationally.

Local winners will go on to represent the West Birmingham branch at the regional Ijtema in March, culminating in the national convention in Surrey later in the year.

Event organiser Adil Anjum said: "It is always a hugely anticipated occasion and a good way of increasing brotherhood within the community."