A group of young carers have staged a moving play showing the reality of their duties looking after relatives at home.

The show, called A Day in the Life of a Young Carer, was a moving account, using pop music, of the responsibilities child carers have at home, and how these affect their school life and friendships with other youngsters.

Eight young carers aged between nine and 16, who attend Bradford Young Carers Service, devised the performance and worked with dance students Sarah Armitage and Claire Sherlock on choreography.

The service, based at Queens Road, Bradford, is run by children's charity Barnardo's and provides social activities for children who care for a family member - usually a parent or sibling - with a disability, long-term illness, or drug or alcohol problem.

The service, funded by Barnardo's, the Children's Fund and Bradford Social Services, deals with 150 children, aged five to 18. It gives them a break and provides emotional and practical advice.

"We organise trips to places like the cinema and bowling, and we have day trips," said service manager Lynne Leathley.

"It's a chance for them to have fun and be with other young people.

"Many young carers undertake their caring roles willingly but don't always get chance to go out and socialise.

"We meet every week and provide transport. We work with families to ensure they get the benefits, services and support they need."

Lynne said A Day in the Life of a Young Carer had been the youngsters' idea.

"They wanted to do something that would reflect their experiences," she said.

"At home young carers are quite mature, because of their responsibilities, but here they let off steam. Through performing they can express themselves in a fun and creative way.

"We held auditions because we could only do this performance with a few children, and we decided to stage it for the parents and the funders of the Young Carers Project."