A YOUNG mum who became pregnant at 15 has spearheaded the launch of an information pack aimed at offering support and advice to other mums-to-be in Blackburn.

Lyndsey Cunliffe, of Lower Darwen, now has a seven-year-old daughter and is a teenage pregnancy support worker for the Brook advisory centre in the town.

She hopes the pack -- to be distributed to GPs' surgeries, chemists, community centres and youth groups in the Whitebirk, Shadsworth, Infirmary, Audley and Queen's Park areas -- will provide other young mothers-to-be with the information she lacked when she learned she was expecting a baby.

The pack, aimed at pregnant young women under the age of 25, was drawn up by Lyndsey, who worked alongside a group of young mums supported by public health midwife Karen Cheema and consultant midwife Sheena Byrom, who are both based at Queen's Park Hospital in Blackburn.

It outlines the options available to pregnant young women, questions and answers about abortion, education courses available, benefits they may be able to claim, housing organisations and a list of useful telephone numbers.

A £2,500 government grant helped them produce the colourful pack, which was launched yesterday at Blackburn College's Blakey Moor Centre.

Clare McCann, teenage pregnancy strategy co-ordinator for Blackburn with Darwen Primary Care Trust, said the borough's conception rate was slightly higher than the national average -- the rate for under 18s is 58.2 per 1,000 and for under 16s it is 11.6 per 1,000.

The trust is working with Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley NHS Trust and Blackburn with Darwen Council to tackle the issue of teenage pregnancies and support young mothers.

Lyndsey, thanking everyone who had helped with the information pack project, said: "It has been a great experience and quite an achievement for me. I found I was pregnant at 15 and I did not know the vast range of services that could have helped me to move on. It was mainly support from my dad, mum, sisters and brothers, because without them I wouldn't be here today."

One young mum who may have benefited from the information pack is Stacey Dryden, a student at Blackburn College. Like Lyndsey, she was a teenage schoolgirl when she found out she was pregnant.

Fortunately, she had the support of her parents and her partner, chef Tony Marks, who she now lives with in Blackburn. Stacey was a 17-year-old sixth former studying A levels in French, psychology and art when she discovered she was pregnant with Ami who will be three in August.

Stacey, 20, said: "We looked at all the options but as far as I was concerned abortion was never an option. I have always said Ami was an accident, but she wasn't a mistake."

Anyone who would like an information pack can contact Sheena Byrom at Tower View offices, Queen's Park Hospital, Blackburn BB2 3HH or telephone 01254 293991.