A project which aims to stamp out bullying has been successfully piloted in the South Denbighshire area.
Ysgol Dinas Bran in Llangollen, recently trialled an anti-bullying day at the town’s Royal International Pavilion where 165 year seven pupils attended.
The day was supported by Wrexham Football Club, whose manager, Dean Saunders, recorded a special DVD message for the youngsters.
Facilitated by Denbighshire County Council and funded by the Community Safety Partnership, the day was organised by North Wales Police’ Central Division Community Safety Team, Denbighshire Children and Young Persons Partnership and the county council.
PC Alyn Smith from the Community Safety Team said: “We all came together and visited a few feeder schools in the south of the county to see if there was anything, we as a Community Safety Partnership, could do to raise awareness on issues such as bullying. We then decided to hold the anti-bullying day for new first year pupils at Ysgol Dinas Bran.
He added: “We had various workshops regarding different types of bullying – such as text bullying, physical and verbal bullying, web bullying and sexual bullying. We also had various guest speakers and the Choose Life project came to talk about peer pressures relating to drink and drugs. Glyndwr’s Women’s Aid were also present to discuss sexual bullying.
“The day was a great success and we are delighted to have the full support of Wrexham FC. We are now hoping to roll out the scheme across Conwy and Denbighshire.”
Angela Delaney of Denbighshire’s Children and Young People’s Partnership, said: “We are delighted that Dean Saunders and Wrexham FC are supporting this pilot initiative and getting involved in our efforts to tackle issues around bullying.
“We are anxious to send out a clear message to all pupils that any kind of bullying simply will not be tolerated and that there is a lot of support out there for any individuals that are being bullied. “Anti-bullying is one of the Partnership’s key drivers and we are working closely with community agencies to focus our efforts on stamping out bullying.”
Manager of Wrexham FC and former Wales international, Dean Saunders said: “On behalf of all the players and staff at Wrexham Football Club, I urge all pupils to support the partnership anti-bullying campaign.
“No-one likes a bully. Any type of bullying is unacceptable, whether it’s fighting, saying horrible things or sending text or internet messages about other people. We, at Wrexham FC, don’t tolerate bullying and we strongly urge people to speak out if they are victims.”
Hywyn Williams, Corporate Director for Lifelong Learning in Denbighshire said: “We haven’t got all the solutions in schools, but we can ensure that young people have got the support, because bullying is a part of everyday life.”
In a bid to further promote the anti-bullying message, Wrexham Football Club provided every child in attendance on the day with a voucher to watch a home game on October 3, against Salisbury.
Picture, left to right: Angela Delaney – Denbighshire Children and Young People’s Partnership, Dean Saunders – Manager, Wrexham FC, PC Alyn Smith – North Wales Police’s Central Community Safety Team and Paul Retout – Chief Executive, Wrexham FC.
