SEEING DOUBLE; Exclusive help group for twins.

Byline: By VICKY ROBSON

THEY say it's double the trouble, but for these proud mums it's twice as nice.

And now they are coming together to share their experiences of having twins at a special support and social group set up in Newcastle to help them.

Multi-Tastic was started at the Far Community Centre, on Acanthus Avenue, in Fenham, as a place where mums of twins and multiple births could go to meet each other.

Harriet Alderson, 33, of Gainsborough Grove, who is mum to Daisy and Esme, now 21 months, helps run the weekly group.

She said: "A group of us met through our ante-natal classes at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, and we all wanted to meet up and keep in touch.

"But where can you go with six mums and 12 babies?

"The group is a great place to come for advice. But I think the main part of the support is having other people to share experiences with.

"There are some things about having twins that are so different to having just the one child that you need to talk to other twins' mums.

"It's also great to see the different ages and stages that you know will be coming up. The group has gone from strength to strength because it's supportive, enjoyable and fun."

Liza Gallon, 33, of Gosforth, agreed. Her children, Mischa and Rocco, are 15 weeks old. She said: "It's great to have the social aspect with other mums, but the main thing for me is that sometimes you just have specific twin issues.

"Quite a lot of the time twins are born early so you are not just dealing with twins, you are dealing with prematurity as well.

"It can be quite daunting when you're thinking about how you're going to cope with having twins, so quite a lot of mums come when they are pregnant to see what it's like."

The mums also organise day trips, have special singing sessions twice a month and run arts and crafts for older children.

Among those in the group are Cath Short and her 16-week-old twins, Amelia and Matthew.

Cath, 38, of Prudhoe, who also has a four-year-old son, Alex, said: "It's somewhere you can just come and relax.

"It's hard to get out with twins sometimes, so having a place like this to come is great."

Multi-Tastic runs every Thursday, from 1pm to 3pm (during term-time only), at the Far Community Centre, on Acanthus Avenue, in Fenham, Newcastle.

For more information about the group, contact the community centre on [phone].

CAPTION(S):

HEADSTART: Rocco Gallon and twin Mischa, left, at Multi-Tastic, a group especially for parents of twins or triplets PICTURES: LLOYD WRIGHT www.chroniclelive.co.uk/buyaphoto ref: 01425423; SUPPORT: Mums can compare notes and get advice on their twins; TWICE AS NICE: Harriet Alderson with her 21-month-old daughters Esme and Daisy, left; SISTER ACT: Twin girls Erin, left, and Daisy Jones at the Multi-Tastic support group