Volunteers are needed to play a key role in this year's national Young Carers' Festival at Fairthorne Manor, near Botley.

The festival, organised jointly by The Children's Society and South East Hampshire YMCA, takes place over the weekend of June 27th-29th and is an opportunity to celebrate young carers who make personal sacrifices every day to look after a family member who is ill or disabled.

If you would like to help, ring Helen Leadbitter on 01962-711511.

Volunteers will be given training and support before the event and will have the opportunity to help with a wide range of activities. This year's theme is "Less Talk-More Action."

There are up to 51,000 young carers-eight to 17 years old-whose needs are often only recognised when there is a crisis. The children and young people attending the festival have a chance to take part in consultations to highlight what they and their families need to improve their quality of life, such as support from health and education services. For the last three years, over 1,000 young carers from all over the UK have camped for the weekend at Fairthorne Manor and had the opportunity to take part in activities such as abseiling, canoeing, archery, drama and circus skills workshops. This year, up to 1,600 are expected.