THE mayor of Weston, Cllr Ciaran Cronnelly, has welcomed the news that young carers in North Somerset will now be better supported through a new mentoring project.

Posting on Facebook, Cllr Cronnelly said: "It was fantastic to attend the launch event of Young Carers Development Trust's new The National Lottery Community Fund funded mentoring project for young carers.

"Every time I've met young carers I've been inspired by their talent and dedication. We know that young people with caring responsibilities find additional barriers to meet their aspirations - whatever they may be.

"YCDT's project will support young carers through a 1-year programme comprising groupwork sessions and 1:1 mentoring support.

"Mentoring can have such a positive impact on people and it's great to hear this will be available to young carers here in North Somerset.

"YCDT are looking for mentors in Weston super Mare so if you're interested you can express an interest here:

https://www.ycdt.org.uk/recruitment

"The new project will extend into schools with school-based sessions to raise awareness and generate referrals and is anticipated to help 100 young carers per annum."