A CARING woman has started a new social group for people with learning disabilities in Worcester.

MENCAP young ambassador Laura Gill, aged 24, from Leigh Sinton, near Malvern, started the group at the Barbourne Ex-Servicemen’s Club on Monday nights as part of a new project from the charity.

Miss Gill, who has a learning disability herself, is a young ambassador for the Inspire Me project set up by Mencap and ENABLE Scotland, which has recently received more than £7 million in funding from the Co-operative Group’s Charity of the Year partnership.

The project aims to support 20,000 young people with a learning disability aged 16 to 25 across the UK.

Miss Gill said: “When I left college I lost all my social life and missed my friends. I was at home every evening.

“I started the Monday Night Club so we could get together, make new friends and have some fun.”

The young ambassador programme is a voluntary scheme to enable young people with a learning disability to make a difference to other people’s lives.

The aim is to empower and encourage the young people and give them access to new and exciting activities and opportunities.

Young people with learning disabilities are twice as likely not to be engaged in education, employment or training as those without. The Inspire Me project provides activities and training that give young people the chance to learn new skills and to build their confidence.

Nithee Kotecha, the youth worker for the Inspire Me project said: “Laura is one of the most proactive young people I have ever met. She is full of ideas and is determined to make a difference to the lives of people who have a learning disability.

“The Monday Night Club is a great way of bringing everyone together in Worcester to have a good time in a safe environment, meet up with old friends and make new ones”.

For more information about the Inspire Me project, visit http://inspireme.mencap.org.uk or call 0207 696 5410.