THE plight of young people who provide round-the-clock care for ill or disabled relatives will be highlighted by a play at the Tavistock Wharf tomorrow (Friday).

The Who Cares drama group ? nine young carers from Tavistock?s Youthwize charity ? will give the final performance of their play Glass Slippers, ending a highly successful tour of Devon.

The play gives an insight into the problems facing young people who have to make huge sacrifices to look after a parent, grandparent or sibling who cannot manage on their own.

Who Cares was the brainchild of 16-year-old Sue Bagg, who looks after her mother following a car crash three years ago which left her disabled.

Sue?s mother suffered three broken vertebrae in her neck and still has trouble with mobility. Sue herself suffered a broken humerus bone in the accident.

?I have to care for her pretty much 24/7,? said the Tavistock College student, who takes the lead role in the play.

?She has a lot of problems with bending over and reaching for stuff,? said Sue.

?For the first couple of years, I had to help her get dressed. It means you have no social life whatsoever and you lose friends because they think you are boring for never coming out.

?The play is supposed to make people understand better.?

Glass Slippers is based on the real-life experiences of the cast members, who wrote the play with the help of a professional script writer.

?We all contributed to the story and we were absolutely amazed with the result,? said Sue.

The play had a positive impact on audiences across the county, including West Devon and Torridge MP John Burnett who attended a performance at the Octagon, Okehampton in May. ?He loved it,? said Sue.

She said her Who Cares project had recently picked up a ?Common Purpose? award in London.

Sue had attended a glitzy ceremony where she received the award from television presenter Ben Shepherd.

?I first had the idea for Who Cares a couple of years ago,? she said. ?We put on a play in assembly at school and then I approached Youthwize with the idea.?

Sue, who is currently awaiting her GCSE results, hopes to study for a GNVQ in health and social care before becoming a professional carer.

She said: ?We would like to do another play on a bigger scale next, to raise the awareness of a broader audience.?

Tomorrow?s performance of Glass Slippers starts at 8pm and entry is free.