GAIL Coldham is about to learn to ice skate.

"It's going to be fun. I am going to learn," she says, with determination.

Nothing too unusual about the ambition perhaps but what is unusual about the situation is Gail's skating partner.

She will be on the ice with a 17-year-old teenager to whom she acts as a mentor in a scheme which has proved so successful when it was started in six centres in Hampshire, including Andover, it is to be adopted across the entire county.

Mentoring offers young people, aged 16 and 21 who are leaving care, the support of a volunteer mentor to help them move into independent living.

Gail, with a background in nursing and mental health, was already involved in The House, a drop-in centre for young people in Andover when she signed up to be a mentor.

She stresses the role of a mentor is one of adaptability.

Its aim is to provide whatever sort of support the young person needs.

"Very often as children they have had to move between children's homes or between foster homes or short-term residential care, unsettling experiences.

"They reach the age of leaving care which could be 16 and they are out in the real world and it can be a struggle to cope. Experiencing the real world could be a brutal experience when you do not have the support of a family behind you.

"A mentor lets the young person 'call the tune'. Some may just need help to find a GP and a dentist, others may like to be accompanied to medical appointments, others need help with employment opportunities, filling in forms or working out a budget. Perhaps, simply a regular and friendly chat is all that is needed."

The amount of time a volunteer spends as a mentor also varies and the period that the two operate together also varies. One young person may just need help to find accommodation and is perfectly happy and able to step out into the world on their own. Others may need weeks or several months before they gain the same confidence.

"It is an important opportunity for the young person to be in the driving seat and make the most of the relationship," says Gail. "I feel it is very valuable support for young people who may not have had quality relationships in their lives and it could help them to make the right moves in their lives."

Social services is always keen to hear from people over 21 years who would like to be a volunteer mentor and who have a few hours spare each week for at least a year. Contact Morag Currie on 01962 891600.