IT'S a beautiful sunny evening in Port Glasgow, with the sun glistening on the Firth of Clyde. Round a corner and down a windy street is Port Glasgow High School. Tucked behind its back door lies an empty youth club, people-free for now apart from the cartoon characters on the walls smiling in silent anticipation of what is about to happen. A disco ball winks in the sunshine from the centre of the ceiling.

Suddenly, the door bursts open and about a dozen excited young people bound in - silence gives way to chatter and laughter. The sense of fun is palpable. Rangers shirts jostle with Celtic and Greenock Morton to make it first to the pool and air hockey tables. William Ahara, 16, is the pool shark of the group. He takes up residence at his table, with challengers lining up to knock him out. They don't have a chance. Some quieter ones draw intently or play Connect 4 in the corner; everyone swaps stories and catches up on what's been happening at home, at school, on Little Britain, since they last met.

This is Barnardo's Inverclyde Senior Youth Club, where disabled young people aged 14-19, who have a variety of learning difficulties and autism, meet every week to hang out and have fun. Kerri Mckay, a project worker with Barnardo's Inverclyde Family Support Team, runs the club. Two volunteers and a sessional worker help her out.

The door opens again and a small, unassuming girl with a sunburnt face tries to quietly sneak in. But she doesn't make it unnoticed. The young people's eyes light up, and she is greeted with choruses of: "Wee Man. How's it going, Wee Man?" as she goes around, saying hello to all her friends at the club.

This is 21-year old Angela Henry, who volunteers once a week at the youth club. By day, Angela is a full-time care assistant at Quarrier's Village near Kilmacolm, a residential home for older people. She started volunteering at the youth club in December 2004 as part of a college placement while studying social care at James Watt College in Greenock. But, even after getting a full-time job, Angela decided to keep on volunteering. "I loved it so much. The kids are magic, it is just great getting in among them, and I hope they get as much out of it as I do, " she says. By the smiles on their faces, it's evident that they do.

Since high school, Angela knew she wanted to work with people, but, encouraged by her teachers, she took up a job at a local Playtex factory and then IBM in Greenock, to get a bit of experience in other working environments. She quickly realised that these jobs weren't for her. "They were boring, doing the same thing every day. But with my job now and with the volunteering, every day is different, " she says.

At the care home, Angela's role involves everything from helping the elderly residents with personal hygiene, to getting their meals, to just talking to them: "For some, they just really relish the company. Whatever they want, they just ask us and we try our best to get it for them."

You can see she loves her job. "The residents are fun and both of us get such a lot out of it. I get to hear their stories and learn from them. A lot of the residents' families don't come and visit, so it is reassuring for them to know that you are always there. It makes you happy to know that you are helping people and that is so worthwhile."

Angela gets a similar reward from her volunteering role. "The best thing about volunteering, " she says, "is that you know you are making a difference, and that's a brilliant feeling. It's also respite for the young people's families, giving their carers a bit of a rest and some time on their own to do what they need to do. But the young people here, they make a difference in my life as well. I couldn't stop doing this now. They are all good friends. And once you come and meet and speak to them, you'll see they are just friends, wanting the same things as us, like company and fun."

Joseph Bryceland, 15, from Greenock, loves the club. He says: "I feel Angela is my good friend. I chat with her about how I feel, about my family. She is very kind and very cool. She is very beautiful, with a nice friendly smile, and that makes me feel happy."

James McNab, 14, agrees. "I've made a lot of friends here. In most places, people just stick together and don't like those who are different, but here, everybody is different and I enjoy learning about that, " he says.

Angela would wholeheartedly encourage anyone to get involved in volunteering, especially as a stepping stone to a more permanent job in social care. "You've got to be caring, patient and willing to do a job that takes time, but you will see the benefits right away. It gives you an insight before you commit full-time, and, if you don't like it, you can stop doing it, but I see no reason why you wouldn't, " she adds.

Kerri, who trained as a social worker before becoming a project worker at Barnardo's, says you can't underestimate the work of the volunteers. "If we didn't have dedicated people, who reliably turn up every week, who give up their time to get young people mixing with their peers, to raise self-esteem, we wouldn't be able to run these groups."

Experience for the role, she says, helps but is not essential: Barnardo's can provide training and match placements tailored to volunteers' abilities.

As well as volunteering being fun, Kerri urges young people to see social care as a wise step from a career point of view. "The opportunities in this sector are just getting greater and greater, and potentially, you might never be unemployed in the future if you chose a career in social care."

For her, the best thing about her job is the young people. "I have worked with some of them for four years; I have seen them grow up." she says. "I wouldn't get that doing any other job. You do have to do the paperwork, the assessments and the planning, but the contact with the young people makes it all worthwhile."

Angela agrees: "I'm in it for the long haul" she says cheerfully, before racing off outside for a game of football.

If you are interested in volunteering for Barnardo's, check out www. barnardos. org. uk/volunteering or call Alison McLaughlin, Volunteering Development Manager at Barnardo's Scotland on 0131 334 9893. Another useful website is www. volunteerscotland. org. uk