ASIAN women in Worcester are in desperate need of more services to help them cope with racist abuse and overcome feelings of isolation and depression, a major conference was due to be told today.

Leading women's charity, the YWCA, has compiled a report entitled Young, Urban and Female which researched the views of Asian women in the Faithful City.

The report concluded that the Government's drive to breathe new life into towns and cities was flawed because of certain groups of women being "ignored or lumped together with young men as a single group."

Today's conference at University College Worcester was due to hear from speakers including Pat Agar, the YWCA's project manager in Worcester, Tahira Maqsood from the city's Ethnic Minorities Project and MP Mike Foster.

The report reveals that:

n Worcester is missing out on large scale urban regeneration funding even though the city has deprived areas in need of it

n Already marginalised groups such as Asian young women have not been fully involved in existing projects designed to boost participation in community development

A focus group held to gauge young Asian women's views in Worcester revealed racism is a key issue for them, feelings of isolation and depression are common and more facilities such as the YWCA are needed.

Research was carried out by a team from the University of Hull's gender studies department. Three other areas - Dagenham, Bradford and St Helens - were also included in the study.

"This research shows there needs to be a radical re-think nationally and locally about the way in which young women are involved in efforts to renew the towns and cities in which they live," said Mandana Hendessi, the YWCA's director of policy and campaign.

"At the moment they are either being ignored or lumped together with young men as a single group. They are not the same. Young women have specific issues which are of importance and concern to them which the current process is failing to take into account.

"In Worcester the problems are made worse by the fact that because the city as a whole is not considered to be deprived, it is overlooked for major regeneration funding. This ignores the fact there are pockets of deprivation within the city and areas in real need of improvement and renewal."