A unique service to help young people hit by the misery of their parents splitting up has been launched in Keighley and Craven.

Funded by Comic Relief and other agencies, the 'Time to Talk' counselling scheme aimed at young people aged between 11 and 18 has been opened by RELATE.

And RELATE wants young Keigh-ley News readers to help launch the scheme by designing a logo for the service. Prizes of £100 in store vouchers are on offer. (See the competition on 'Wired' on page 8.)

The service, one of only a handful in the country, is free. Young people who are unhappy, unsettled or worried can talk to an expert without telling their parents.

Nick Shillito, manager of RELATE Keighley and Craven, says: "These days you can barely open a newspaper or turn on the television without seeing or hearing some gloomy report about the rising divorce rate and the damage the widespread disintegration of family life is doing to our children. It's even become a fashionable cause for politicians, who constantly tell us about the need to re-establish the values of 'traditional family life' as if it were simply a matter of us pulling our socks up and trying harder.

"We agree that the best environment for children is a stable, happy family, but we also recognise that in the real world divorce is here to stay.

"Even though one of our main aims is to help couples stay together, another big part of our work is helping couples separate with the minimum of emotional damage - including the children.

The Time to Talk service is also part-funded by Keighley Area Panel (the local branch of Bradford council), Keighley Crime Reduction Action Group and Bradford Joint Finance.

Confidential counselling sessions are held most weekday afternoons between 3.30 and 6.30pm. A special direct phone line - 01535 606282 - has been set up.

Nick says: "Although it is painful to those of us who have been through the misery and mess of a marriage or relationship breakdown, I think we have to be honest and face up to the fact that young people are often extremely distressed, confused and frightened when they have to stand by and watch their parents' relationship fall apart.

"What we can do is offer our children practical and sensible support. We don't promise miracles, but we do believe that professional, specialist counselling at an appropriate time can do a great deal to minimise the distress, and perhaps more importantly reduce any kind of long-term emotional damage.

"We are delighted to be able to launch this new service.

"The young people can make their own arrangements to see us without informing their parents."

Design a logo and win store vouchers, page 8

Opinion, page 10

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.