THE founder of Childline visited its Prestatyn base to drum up more support for at risk children.

Journalist and television presenter Dame Esther Rantzen attended a meeting at the child protection helpline's Warren Drive centre to praise the centre's volunteers and urge more people to come forward and offer counselling to children.

From 2017 to 2018, volunteers in Prestatyn carried out 19,216 counselling sessions with young people contacting them from across the UK about issues including sexual abuse, self-harm, bullying and suicide - a rise of about 11 percent from 17,301 from 2016 to 2017.

At present Childline only has the resources to be there for three in every four young people that reaches out for help.

Dame Rantzen, who founded the service in 1986, said: “With our wonderful Childline volunteers in North Wales helping more children than ever, it’s only right to thank them for giving up their valuable time to be there to support those in need."

Along with the Cardiff base, it is one of two Childline bases in Wales and 12 across in the UK, after first opening in Rhyl in 1992 before moving to its current home in Prestatyn in 2008.

The Prestatyn base was even open on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day in 2018 counselling children who needed help on the phone or online.

After presenting 30 volunteers with long service certificates, Dame Esther appealed for more people from North Wales to become Childline volunteers to help even more children in the coming years.

Dame Rantzen added: “So many young people have mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, and without Childline they would have nowhere else to turn to and would suffer in silence.

“There is still a huge demand from children, day and night, and it’s crucial we have even more volunteer counsellors available to help them.”

Debs Davis, the Prestatyn Childline service manager, said: “Our volunteers in Prestatyn are incredibly proud to give up their time for Childline and make a huge difference to young people’s lives.

“We need more help to meet the demand from other young people who need our support, both online and over the phone – and in the Welsh language as well as English.

Childline is available 24/7 on 0800 1111 or at childline.org.uk.To find out more about volunteering for Childline, click here.