IT LOOKS like any other playgroup - the same puzzles, water trough, dolls house and road mat you'll find in any village hall on a school day.

And the same toddlers - laughing, whingeing, squabbling and cuddling up for a story.

But the New Forest Opportunity Group is more than just another playgroup. It is a vital lifeline from isolation into secure, supported progress for its children - and their parents.

The NFOG has been helping special needs children from all over the Waterside area for more than 25 years.

The effectiveness of their work is proved by the number of mums who stay on to help long after their own toddlers have started school.

And there are long-serving staff too, like supervisor Holly Phillips - a NFOG devotee for more than 20 years. She said: "It's just a very rewarding job.

"Children come here on referral with all sorts of problems. Some are in wheelchairs, others don't look like they have anything wrong with them at all. We don't turn anyone away if we think they have a need.

"It is much easier for therapists to work with a child in the playgroup than in the tenser surroundings of a clinic," she said.

The group operates on a one-to-one basis. Each child has a regular helper to bond with, which means harassed mothers can take some free time.

"The group is as important to mums as it is to kids," said Holly.

"It can be very lonely having a child with problems. Some mums say they have lost all their old friends, because no-one knows what to say to them about their babies.

"But they can come here and get moral support from other mums in the same position, with experience and advice to offer."

Judy Jurd, of Hill View Road, Hythe, was a bemused new mum 13 years ago, with a baby who was missing milestones and failing to gain weight.

She was referred to the NFOG, but could not come to terms with the idea of having a special needs child.

"I took Vicky to an ordinary toddlers' group. I knew she was slow, but I thought she would catch up. It is difficult to accept your child is behind," said Judy.

"Eventually a friend persuaded me to give the Opportunity Group a go. And I am so glad she did. I've got so much out of it."

Vicky is now almost 14 and at Oak Lodge special school, but Judy is still helping at the group.

"I have made many lasting friendships here and I wanted to give something back," she said.

Judy gives her valuable time, and so do youngsters from nearby Noadswood School. Fourteen-year-olds Jack Philps and Philip Joyner spent a morning amusing the toddlers as part of a regular work experience-type programme organised by the school.

But NFOG needs cash as well as time. The group has to raise at least £12,000 a year just to keep running. "We are lucky, we get a lot of local support. Without that we wouldn't happen," said Holly. "We have to fundraise all the time - our minibus needs replacement, for example.

"But being independent has its advantages. Education and social services can't dictate to us. We decide if a child needs a place here. Magically, there always seems to be just enough money!"

New Forest Opportunity Group meets in the Hythe United Reformed Church Hall every Tuesday and Thursday morning in term time. For details call Holly on 023 8084 9508.