A PROJECT to befriend and support Bewdley teenagers with worries and emotional problems is looking for extra funding and more volunteers.

About 50 pupils at the town's high school have been helped by "mentors" who started working there in January last year.

Part-time Kemp Hospice worker Andrea Maddocks set up the project with £1,600 from the Scarman Trust, £1,000 from the Bewdley Grammar School Trust and £500 from the National Mentoring Network.

It has been so successful Mrs Maddocks is now hoping to win additional funding to pay for office space and more training.

"The young people come to us with a variety of concerns - problems at home, with friendships or career options," she said.

Mrs Maddocks added that motivation was often a problem as well as peer pressure and at this time of the year confidence in tackling exams.

They also work closely with the school's careers department offering help with putting together CVs, looking at colleges and even taking pupils to interviews.

There are now 16 volunteers working there offering 30-minute sessions at any time during the day or after school to about 30 teenagers every week.

More in-depth counselling is also available to support youngsters facing major upheavals in their lives such as bereavement or the divorce of parents.

Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer should contact Mrs Maddocks at the school on 01299 403277.