A BLACKPOOL woman's friendship with Cherie Booth has provided a boost for the work of the mental health service in Lancashire.

The Prime Minister's wife, in Blackpool for the Labour Conference, took time out to support a football competition in Stanley Park involving those who use and provide care.

And it's all thanks to the efforts of Lorraine Wade who first met Mrs Blair when she was her hairdresser at previous conferences.

Since then Lorraine's life has changed dramatically but their friendship has remained constant and she has kept Mrs Blair up to date about her new interest and work in mental health.

Lorraine had a small hairdresser's shop close to the Imperial Hotel In the 1990s. As the party conferences came round, the personalities whose hair she was asked to tend included Margaret Thatcher, Norma Major and Mary Whitehouse.

But she built a real rapport with Mrs Blair before the 1997 election when Tony Blair became prime minister.

When a friend suffered mental problems she took an interest and helped to man the county's helpline. Now she manages the helpline run by the Lancashire Care Trust and invited Mrs Blair along to present the prizes at the soccer tournament.

It comes two years after Lorraine did a sponsored bike ride to Downing Street where she was given tea by the prime minister's wife

"I had occasionally sent a letter updating her on what we are doing so I wrote asking if she wanted to see what we were doing this week," she said.

"The Blairs are lovely people. Very friendly and genuine," she said but, showing no political bias, she added: "Mrs Thatcher was very nice. Very easy to talk to."

Now Lorraine, a mother of two from Bispham, is keen to promote the mental health helpline and combat the projudices against mental illness.

"There is such a stigma attached to mental health, yet almost everyone knows someone who has experienced emotional illness at some point in their lives. I really feel very passionate about helping people through this difficult period and seeing them get well, and I know that this is one of Cherie's particular interests too. Her support means a great deal to all of us."

Football was one particular therapy that Lorraine introduced several months ago, and it has proved very popular with staff and patients alike.

"Team members have been in training for months and have got so much out of the game, but meeting the Prime Minister's wife will be the icing on the cake - a real boost to morale," said Lorraine who is look for new volunteers for the helpline.

"The work at the helpline is very varied. It ranges from a lady who rings to say goodnight because it makes her life normal to calling emergency service because someone is trying to commit suicide.

"We have 71 volunteers but we always need more and it just involves a four-hour shift once a fortnight."

Anyone interested can contact Lorraine on 303699.