DETERMINED to raise a smile among youngsters in their community, a pair of Prudhoe mums have launched a new youth group.

Happy Faces is designed specially for young people with additional needs.

The new youth group, which will run from Prudhoe East Centre, is the brainchild of Amanda Carr and Angie Scott.

Both parents have children with learning difficulties and said they had struggled to find clubs and activities for them.

Amanda’s daughter Emerald (9) will join Ovingham Middle School in September.

Amanda, who works at Lloyds Bank on Front Street, said: “Emerald has a learning difficulty.

“It is not fully diagnosed – we’re starting the formal diagnosis process.

“She has a lot of friends at school but the differences are starting to become a lot more prevalent.”

Angie’s son, Joseph, 11, has been diagnosed with a learning disability and anxiety disorder.

A student of Collingwood School and Media Arts College in Morpeth, it is harder for him to meet school friends in Prudhoe.

Angie, a nursing assistant, said: “There’s just not much at all going on in Prudhoe for these children.”

Amanda added: “We want somewhere the children can feel more relaxed and integrate socially. We want to create a space that’s safe, relaxing and fun.

“We’re not qualified youth leaders so the East Centre is the driving force in that sense. We had the ideas and from that acorn of an idea hopefully a decent oak tree is going to grow.”

The name Happy Faces came from Emerald, who after hearing of the new youth club asked if the children would all have ‘happy faces’.

The sessions will be led by East Centre youth leaders, and Prudhoe Youth Charity Shop has pledged a financial contribution to get the youth group up and running.

Two taster sessions have been organised for Happy Faces on Saturdays August 12 and 19; times to be confirmed. In the longer term, weekly sessions are planned for on Monday evenings.

See the Happy Faces Prudhoe, Facebook page.