TYPICAL teenagers' hectic schedules of exams, parties and sports leave little time for anything or anyone else.

But for devoting just a "few minutes" a week to helping others, two local youngsters have been hailed a lifeline by their elderly neighbours.

Slightly embarrassed at being singled out for what they considered a meagre contribution and just part of their everyday lives, 17-year-old Debbie Anderson and Oliver Brewer, 18, are innocently unaware of the huge impact of their "few minutes" - which incidentally has amounted to over 200 hours in the last two years!

If you head out to Threshfield one evening after school you will find Oliver challenging 94-year-old Marie Adams to yet another game of scrabble.

Youthful exuberance against age and experience go head to head every fortnight in a battle of the minds.

Oliver's visits over the past year have been a lifeline to Marie, who eagerly awaits his company.

In a similar vein Debbie, from Skipton Girls' High, gives up her Wednesday lunch breaks to shop for an elderly Skipton resident.

After morning lessons she grabs her bags, a sandwich en route and walks to Winnie Johnson's house to see if there is anything she needs. A quick trip to the Co-op and back means Winnie, 84, who has had a stroke and is unable to leave the house alone, has all the essentials.

Debbie needed to do six months voluntary work as part of her Duke of Edinburgh Award, but two years later she is still doing the shopping, and even during her four AS level exams this month she managed to put her revising aside for the quick trip.

"It only takes half an hour, whereas I think it means much more to her," said Debbie, who is also in the middle of a typing course and has a part-time job.

Winnie told the Herald: "She is so good to me I don't know what I would do without her."

Oliver's scrabble contests not only provide company for Marie but also keep her mind active - reluctantly he admitted that she had beaten him several times!

The head boy of Ermysted's School, Skipton, has just completed his A-levels and is a well-known local athlete. He said he enjoyed the games as it gave him a break from his busy life.

Craven Voluntary Action asked Oliver to start visiting Marie after his enthusiastic approach to the Citizenship Scheme during which he sacrificed his much loved games lesson on a Wednesday afternoon to help out in Water Street Primary School.

From four-year-olds that he taught to write, to a 90-year-old who taught him new words, Oliver said he had learnt a lot from his voluntary work that will stand him in good stead for the future.

"I have enjoyed the fact that I have been able to contribute something back into the community and it has helped prepare me for medical school," said Oliver who is going to Southampton University in October.

Craven Voluntary Action's volunteers' co-ordinator Dee Pollit said Oliver and Debbie were leading the way for other young people to do similar work.

She said young volunteers, over 14, were underrepresented on her books and that they tended to think voluntary work was all about charity shops. But there are openings for youngsters to visit the elderly, go on trips and some outdoor work.

"In particular we are looking for crew on the SCAD boat, this is something I think young people would like to do over the summer one day a week. They could be tying boats up, opening bridges, and helping people on and off," said Dee. (The Skipton and Craven Action for Disability boat is a narrow boat specially equipped to take disabled people on cruises along the canal.)

"Most teenagers have finished their exams now and have plenty of spare time. I see them hanging about and think they could be doing something," she added.

Anyone who has an hour a week to spare and would like to give something back to their community should contact Dee at the CVA on 01756 701056.