Yasuda Brindley-Avery found herself a lone parent after 13 years of marriage.

Her separation from her husband left her facing dozens of new problems and challenges.

Her friend Louise Garratt had also recently separated from her husband and was on the brink of a breakdown meeting the demands of her job as a corporate bank manager.

So together they decided to set up an internet site and Yasuda gave up her high-flying career running a design consultancy.

Their mission was to create a community site for single parents like them.

Yasuda said: "The idea for the site grew out of our personal experiences. When I first separated from my husband I wanted one place where I could find all the information I needed.

"People might have thought we were quite reckless giving up good jobs, but when you are faced with a separation and looking after your children alone, our jobs seemed shallow.

"We began to think about things and both Louise and I decided we wanted to do something we really believed in."

www.planetoneparent.com aims to counteract the issues and problems lone parents may encounter and offers everything from getting legal advice to arranging house insurance.

Health, work, leisure, shopping and finance are some of the other areas covered in what Yasuda describes as a "life organiser".

Both the Brighton women think there is plenty of demand for the site given that one marriage in two ends in divorce and one in three babies is born to an unmarried mother.

Louise said: "In the middle of emotional turmoil, where are people supposed to get help?

"Even if you have the time and the energy, sorting things out when you are in the middle of a relationship crisis can be difficult.

"If you are also a parent it can be almost impossible. Then, once you are labelled a lone parent, you can end up feeling a social outcast."

Yasuda said: "It's nothing to do with social category. After all, Prince Charles is a lone parent.

"It doesn't matter if you're Scary Spice, Vanessa, or just Ms Ordinary, the emotional responsibility of being a lone parent is the same.

"Beyond that, the practical advice is there for anyone who needs it."