Disbaility can often bring problems of isolation, and this can hit teenagers particularly hard. Liz Lamb looks at how one scheme is aiming to bridge the gap.

LAUGHING with her friends, Laura Dinsdale looks like any other teenager hanging out with her mates. She goes to the cinema, chats on the phone and listens to her favourite band, Westlife, with her closest pals.

Six months ago this was only a dream for the 17-year-old, who suffers from muscular dystrophy. The teenager found it hard to meet people of her own age and would often spend time socialising with her mum, Julie.

Laura was desperate to meet other teenagers with similar interests so her social worker put her in touch with a new buddying scheme run by Barnardo's in Darlington.

Now, thanks to the initiative, Laura, who lives in the town, has been matched with Holly Marchant, 17, a buddy volunteer, and the pair happily spend their weekends together shopping and listening to the latest chart hits.

And Laura's mum Julie has seen a dramatic change in her daughter since she joined the scheme. "It has given her independence," she says. "Instead of me taking her places she can do things with people of her own age. Laura is 17 so she doesn't want to hang around with her mum. She wants to go shopping and do girlie things with other teenagers."

For Laura, the initiative has helped her find a best mate. "Holly is into the same sorts of things as me," she says. "We like to go bowling or go to the cinema or into town shopping. I really enjoy going out with Holly, she has become a good friend. Before I didn't have a chance to go out and about but Barnardo's has helped me to meet people my own age."

The buddy scheme, named Darlington Inclusion, is the brainwave of Andy Cope, the project's co-ordinator, and Dawn Russell, the project worker. Because of their work at Barnardo's, they became increasingly aware of the need for children and young people to mix with others who have similar interests.

They decided to set up the volunteer-based project with the specific aim of helping disabled youngsters get involved in activities and services they might previously not have had access to. One of the major threads of this was to invite able-bodied teenagers to become buddies.

"A lot of disabled children have never had the opportunity to get involved in things they have always really fancied doing, simply because they are disabled," says Andy. "It may well be that their family has not had the time to do it or the young person themselves either didn't have the confidence to try it on their own or had no idea where to go.

"It could be as basic as going to the cinema. One of our young people had never been to the cinema before and was able to go with her buddy. A disabled youngster might have always wanted to go swimming or some sort of other leisure activity, but leisure centres and swimming pools are big, scary places when you are disabled and on your own."

Darlington Inclusion has been running for more than 18 months, during which time they have set up a steady stream of volunteers, including Peter Roberts, 16. The Haughton Comprehensive pupil was eager to get involved in the project, as he has ambitions to work with charities, such as Barnardo's, when he leaves school. He buddies Chris Young, 16, a disabled youngster from Woodham, County Durham, who uses a wheelchair, and Ian Weston, a pupil at Eastbourne School, Darlington. All three have become firm friends and they regularly get together to play computer games, watch football and have fun.

"I wanted to get involved because I enjoy helping people," says Peter. "I have been doing the buddying scheme for about a year and I get on really well with Chris and Ian. We do lots of thing together such as going to see a movie or playing on the computer and we go to the youth club one night a week. I really enjoy what I do - it's just hanging about with your mates."

For Chris, who attends Woodham Comprehensive, the scheme has enabled him to be independent, something that is very important to him. It has also opened up opportunities for him to widen his circle of friends.

"We do normal activities together that teenagers do such as going swimming, talking on the phone and I stay at Peter's house some weekends," says Chris. "I'm always out and about and I have a really good social life now. Peter and I get on really well and we are both into the same sort of things."

Buddies and volunteers are matched up according to their ages, interests, what area of town they live in and what things they have in common. Safety is paramount. The project leaders do police checks on prospective volunteers and carry out a home visit before they will assign a volunteer.

Organisers have also reached out to youth centres, clubs and activity groups to see whether they would be interested in considering a buddying scheme.

They hope to allow a disabled person to join the group and be matched with a buddy but also have the support of the whole club.

For youngsters such as Laura and Chris it is a valuable scheme that comes at a time in their lives when making friends is so crucial. "I'm so glad that I found out about it," says Laura. "I have made such a great friend."

l The project is interested in hearing from both able-bodied and disabled youngsters who would like to sign up for the scheme. Volunteers can donate as little as one afternoon or evening a month. If you are interested call Darlington Inclusion on 01325 254437/8.