Couples whose relationships plunged into crisis during the long Christmas break are rushing to seek help from a York mediation scheme.

The charity, York Family Mediation Service, has experienced its usual New Year rash of pleas for assistance with divorces and separations.

Service manager Catharine Morris says there is a traditional breakdown in relationships around the turn of the year - and 1999 has proved no different, with the service receiving several calls since it re-opened on Monday.

She said York Family Mediation was so concerned about the New Year breakdown in relationships that it was offering couples special separate initial meetings, designed to explain how mediation could make their divorces and separations as amicable as possible.

"Many families are plunged into crisis by the strain of being forced together over the long Christmas break," she said.

"Parents often try particularly hard, "for the sake of the children," over Christmas, but find that the aftermath quickly drags them back to the realities of everyday life.

"For other families, already separated, contact arrangements can go wrong and need mending."

She said the service did not aim to bring couples back together again - this was the task of other organisations - but assist couples whose relationships had broken down irretrievably to divorce or separate as amicably as possible.

This was particularly important when children were involved and there was a need to upset them as little as possible.

To contact the York Mediation Service, which serves people in parts of Ryedale, Selby and Harrogate districts as well as York, call 01904 646068.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.