Nipping bullying in the but

07/04/2006

Business and children have joined forces to root out bullying.

Pupils from St Charles RCVA Primary School in Spennymoor, County Durham, are working with Northumbrian Water, ASDA Spennymoor and Lumsden & Carroll to tackle bullying which affects children every day throughout the North East.

The school children carried out a survey which shows bullying mostly happens in the playground.  Twenty enterprising students, aged 11 and called ‘buddies’, have designed an ‘anti-bullying garden’ for victims to escape to for advice, friendship and safety. 

Buddies will wear bright yellow baseball caps during playtime to be easily identified by a pupil needing someone to talk to and the garden will be their haven.

Dozens of enthusiastic volunteers from the three North East companies have spent hours doing back-breaking work involving clearing, digging, levelling, building, painting and planting to create the garden, which is 30 metres long and 14 metres wide.

Fourteen Northumbrian Water and Lumsden & Carroll employees, from Bardon Mill, Blyth, Darlington, Fencehouses, Houghton le Spring, Ingleby Barwick, Morpeth, North Shields, Peterlee, Sedgefield and Trimdon are helping to create the garden, which has six sections including a prayer garden, touch garden, sight and smell garden, music garden, wildlife and bog garden and a rockery garden.

The water workers are able to assist with this worthwhile project under Northumbrian Water’s ‘Just an Hour’ scheme – employees are encouraged to spend at least 12 hours a year of paid work-time helping with community or environmental projects.

Peter Trees, a Northumbrian Water project manager who lives in Darlington, said:  “The work to create the garden was exhausting but worth every minute – in fact, collectively our team has so far put in 100 hours of labour in freezing cold conditions.  The children made us tea and it was going cold within minutes!  Hopefully when we return to do more, the weather will be kinder.

“Bullying is something which can have a devastating effect on a child’s life and I think it is excellent that these children have identified that and are doing something about it.  We are proud to be involved.  Northumbrian Water’s ‘Just an Hour’ scheme is making a real difference to peoples’ lives from Berwick down to North Yorkshire and across to the Pennines.”

ASDA Spennymoor employees have raised £500 through hot dog sales and home-made cake sales to add to a further £500 from the ASDA Get Involved Foundation.

ASDA’s events co-ordinator, Ann Allison, said:  “We do not tolerate bullying in the workplace and it should be tackled from an early age.  I have been impressed with the children’s’ determination to tackle this serious issue.

“It has been a real pleasure for us to be involved in this project and we are looking forward to seeing the garden once it has matured.  We are going to ensure the garden is bright and colourful by donating bulbs to the school every year.”

St Charles pupils Kate Borrowdale and Kyle Quinn, both from Ferryhill and aged 11, are among those leading project:  “Our garden will hopefully help any child who is a victim of bullying or who needs a friend – we will do our best to help them and make them smile.

“We are so proud of the fact that we thought of the garden and would like to thank Northumbrian Water, Lumsden & Carroll and ASDA Spennymoor for their hard work and support.”

As well as manpower, Lumsden & Carroll has also provided a huge amount of raw materials for the unique garden and use of equipment.

For further information and interviews please contact Cara Hall, Northumbrian Water, on 0191 301 6720.