CHILDLINE founder Dame Esther Rantzen has spoken of the "debt" the charity owes Glasgow band Wet Wet Wet as the charity prepares to mark its 30th anniversary.

Royalties from the band's first number one hit 'With a Little Help from Our Friends' funded the helpline's Glasgow base.

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The single stayed at the top for five weeks in 1988, two years after the free, 24-hour helpline was launched on BBC show, That's Life.

Childline, which is run by the NSPCC, has helped more than 4million desperate children since it was launched in October 1986.

However its founder warned that the helpline is currently only able to answer three out of four children.

She said more children were seeking help online and it takes"10 times longer" for volunteers to provide advice using 'real-time' counselling, rather than by telephone or email.

She said: "We owe a great deal to Wet Wet Wet.

"Our base in Glasgow was launched and paid for by the band with royalities from their first number one hit, With a Little Help from Our Friends.

"People say to me can you really believe it is 30 years and I say, no, it feels like 150, because every day brings new challenges.

"At the moment we are only answering every three out of four contacts because so many of them want to now, get in touch with us online, in real-time counselling, as well as through emails.

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"A lot of young people are more comfortable doing it this way.

"But it takes longer. It can take 10 times longer to counsel a child that way.

"We need more volunteers.

"I had no idea in 1986 that children were going to be able to use mobile phones never mind the internet.

"The nature of the problems they are experiencing has changed.

"For the first five years it was sexual abuse, then for the next seven years it was bullying.

"Now, we are getting so many calls about mental health issues, suicidal thoughts, self harm, cyber bullying and sexting.

"So, there are always new challenges."

ChildLine has 12 counselling centres around the UK including Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh.

Unlike most other freephone helpline, it offers confidentiality to children unless their or someone else's life is in immediate danger.

Dame Esther said: "Childline has now helped more than 4million children and obviously I didn't do that.

"It's generations of volunteers who have done that.

"I applaud their dedication and the courage of the children who have taken that first crucial step in getting in touch with us.

"Because the fact that those services are free and confidential doesn't make it any easier to make that first call."

The former That's Life presenter praised the Children's Hearing System, which is unique to Scotland.

Volunteers are trained to make decisions about the lives of children affected by abuse and neglect and the child's views are central to the process.

Whereas in other countries, including England, child protection and child criminality are handled separately, with offenders attending some form of juvenile court, the Scottisy system also deals with young people who have broken the law.

Dame Esther said: "There are many ways in which Scotland leads the rest of the UK and that's one of us.

"I was a bit involved with the Orkney tragedy, I went and met the families and I know there can be disasters. Even the best system in the world can gang agley.

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"It's good and it's very child centred and one of the things I know about England is that children are not heard.

"All too often, decisions are made without actually listening to children.

"What Childline has proved time and time again, is that by listening to children and empowering children, you can make children safe without destroying their lives."