GOOD neighbours should be good friends - or so the soap theme song says.

But when the garden fence becomes an iron curtain, don't despair. Newport Mediators are happy to help neighbours at war - and they're looking for new recruits.

Marie Walsh, 47, is volunteer co-ordinator for Newport Mediators. She said: "I first came into mediating when I saw a poster asking for volunteers, and I was very keen.

"It sounded like a very good idea. I'd been teaching women self-defence, and for me it seemed like a really good next step. Learning gave me so much more confidence and taught me about how I could deal with a conflict, so I wanted to pass it on.

"But this is about how not to use your physical skills. We're trying to come in at the stage before it gets to fighting.

"We won't decide who's right or wrong. We try to see if there's a win-win situation. It's better to tackle issues early on while they're manageable. "Some conflicts are just about one issue and they're simple. I've had a case that was just about a ball going over a fence.

"In other cases we come into situations that have got very complicated, and where both sides have involved other family members and it can be almost the start of a feud."

The issues people argue about often seem trivial to outsiders. Mrs Walsh said: "Most complaints are about noise, children, dogs or other pets, or where cars are parked.

"But it is taken very seriously. Sometimes people have felt quite desperate, and the only way out they can see is to move house, and we can surprise them with a solution."

But more mediators are needed - which is why Mrs Walsh and her colleagues are holding an open day at Torfaen People's Centre, Pontypool, from 1pm to 3pm tomorrow.

"The training is very thorough - it's a six-day course, but you don't have to have been good at school because it's about practical skills and listening to people," Mrs Walsh said.

And there will be another open day in Newport on February 4 between 7pm and 9pm at the civic centre.