YOUNG PEOPLE in Huddersfield are being offered a virtual glimpse inside a sexual health clinic to help bridge a gap in sex education.

Youth charity YouthNet has created an online tour to give youngsters an idea of what to expect when they visit a genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinic.

The move comes after a survey of 20,000 young people showed only 49% knew where to find their local sexual health clinic.

The study, by UK Youth Parliament, also revealed how three quarters rated the sex education they received in school as poor, very poor or average.

The virtual tour has been launched as part of a guide to life for 16- to 24- year-olds on the website TheSite.org

Fiona Dawe, chief executive of YouthNet, said: “Sexual health is the most second popular discussion topic on TheSite.org and through our discussion boards and askTheSite service, we know there is a lot of uncertainty about what sexual health screening involves.

“With the virtual tour, young people can see for themselves what’s behind the doors of a GUM clinic, hopefully dispelling the myths surrounding sexual health testing and encouraging more to get tested.”

The tour was filmed at a clinic in Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London and features interviews with sexual health nurses.

There is also a facility for young people to search a database of UK clinics to find their nearest one.

Fiona added: “People learn in different ways, so by offering this kind of video content, in addition to our text, audio and mobile services, young people can use resources most relevant to their situation, hopefully giving the message a wider reach.”

To view the GUM virtual tour, visit www.thesite.org/audioandvideo