Volunteering to help at Feltham Young Offenders Institute

3.03.43pm GMT Tue 18th Mar 2003

Local volunteers who help with rehabilitating young offenders at the local 'Borstal' (YOI) are appealing for others to join them.

There will be a meeting of potential volunteers at the BP Sports Club in Sunbury next Monday evening (tel contact 8898 4333).

MP Vincent Cable, who has taken a close interest in the YOI with two parliamentary debates, several visits and questions to Ministers, wants local people to help: "the experience of these young men in prison may well determine whether they turn their lives round or become 'hardcore' criminals. "

"Many of them are in need of support having had broken homes, "

"poor education and, often, mental illness. Having met a lot of young offenders I know that while some of them are dangerous and a serious threat to society, large numbers are sad characters who have simply lost their way. "

"A bit of help teaching them basic skills or simply visiting "

"them would go a long way".