A CARE project for disabled children is looking for volunteers to help it expand.

Barnardo's Shared Care North-East helps children and young people with physical and learning disabilities or serious illnesses to form friendships outside their families.

This enables them to gain more experience of the outside world and also gives their families a break.

The scheme relies on a team of foster carers, sitters and befrienders, who look after youngsters in their own home or take them out to enjoy activities. Shared Care was set up in 1986 and operated mainly in the Durham and Darlington areas.

It has proved so successful it is expanding throughout the North-East and is looking for volunteers.

Project leader Judith Latheron said: "Befrienders take a young person out to do activities.

"It might be swimming or to a bowling alley, but wherever it is, it lets them have a choice in what they do and helps them to become as independent as possible. It might also give a child a chance to do something they have never experienced before."

The scheme also has foster carers who take children into their own home for an overnight stay or a weekend, while sitters look after them while their parents are out.

Potential volunteers are assessed by project workers and then go through a training process, which can take up to six months.

Anyone interested in learning more about the project should call Barnardo's on 0191-378 4800.