A new service has been launched in Keighley to help men who were sexually abused as children.

Clients will have the chance to speak to others who have suffered similar ordeals.

The venture -- known as the Shed Project -- has been introduced by the local branch of Relate and follows in the footsteps of a service launched two years ago to support female survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

Nick Shillito, pictured, manager of Relate Keighley and Craven, said: "The sexual abuse of children can do terrible, life-long emotional damage to its young victims and we know that many male survivors struggle on in isolation for many years - sometimes decades - without ever feeling able to talk about what happened to them.

"The Shed Project isn't promising miracles, but we can offer survivors a real chance to start feeling better about themselves and to become less isolated by sharing thoughts, feelings and activities with other men who have gone through similar experiences.

"We know that making that first phone call is extremely difficult, but we hope that anyone out there who might be thinking about asking for help will find the courage to do so."

The scheme -- together with the service for female clients, the Lily Project -- was commissioned by Airedale Primary Care Trust.

The services are free.

Potential clients contacting the Shed Project will first be invited to attend a confidential meeting with two members of a practitioner team.

The client's needs would be explored and an assessment made of whether or not the project was right for him.

"Following that we hope that most men will feel able to participate in the therapeutic group work which is at the heart of the Shed's approach," said Mr Shillito. This is new and exciting work for us, and we fully expect the range and scope of the service to develop as we gather feedback and ideas from our clients and evaluate the outcomes of the work."

Men interested in joining the project may make the approach themselves or be referred via their GP or another health professional.

The project can be contacted through the main Relate phone number - 01535 605047 - or by e-mail at theshed@relate-keighley.co.uk.

l Relate Keighley and Craven offers 2,500 hours of counselling and therapeutic services a year, covering relationship counselling, sex therapy, free and confidential counselling for young people, help for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse and life skills training