South Ayrshire Council is continuing to tackle bullying by putting its weight behind the BBC Radio 1 national ‘Beat Bullying’ campaign.

The Council has received 15,000 distinctive blue wristbands that have the ‘Beat Bullying’ slogan on them, one for each pupil attending a Council school, and these will be distributed through school Pupil Councils.

Pupil Councils in South Ayrshire play a very important and active part in promoting values to their peers, and this has been found to be a great way to cascade messages throughout schools and the wider community. Values such as Respect, Compassion, Caring, and Honesty are just some of the priorities that have been identified by the pupils themselves.

Pupil Councils will ensure that the wristbands reach students of all ages in South Ayrshire. By wearing the wristbands the young people will be providing an outward sign that they will not tolerate bullying from their classmates, or indeed from anyone within their local communities.

Convener of the Council’s Lifelong Learning Committee, Councillor Alan Murray said: “The Council’s Education, Culture and Lifelong Department, is keen to participate in this national campaign, and sees it as a way of building on the stringent measures already in place to deal with any bullying in a compassionate and supportive manner.

“There are victims in bullying, and those who carry out bullying, however, it is vital that people realise that the behaviour of the bully can often be a direct result of them having been bullied in the past, or because they have witnessed bullying.

I hope that the ‘Beat Bullying’ message will be carried into local communities by the young people, and will make people of all ages, and from all walks of life, aware that bullying will not be tolerated.”

Pupils at Braehead Primary School in Ayr were the first Council school to take delivery of the distinctive ‘Beat Bullying’ wristbands and Convener of the Council’s Lifelong Learning Committee, Councillor Alan Murray and Strathclyde Police Community Police Officer, William Cooper happily showed their support for the campaign.

May 2005