PRIMARY school pupils raised money yesterday to help beat bullying by building a garden.

Youngsters at St Charles RC Primary School, in Tudhoe, held fundraising events including a bring-and-buy sale and a tombola at the school.

The money raised will go towards the garden, an idea which staff and pupils came up with following anti-bullying week last year.

When completed, the garden will be a place for children feeling unsafe or lonely to go, where they will be befriended by a trained pupil called a buddy.

Youngsters on the school's pupils' forum and buddies group helped arrange the fundraising initiatives, which took place yesterday afternoon.

The buddies group is chaired by 11-year-olds Kyle Quinn and Kate Borrowdale, who said: "In anti-bullying week, we did a survey on bullying and the statistics said that most bullying takes place in the playground, so we hope this will help."

The pupils' forum is chaired by Caitlin Athey, aged ten, and Brent Watson, seven, who said: "If you don't feel safe in the playground, you can go in and sit down and a buddy will come and talk to you."

More fundraising days will be held in forthcoming weeks, after school resumes after half-term, and it is hoped that the garden will be finished by the summer.

The school's headteacher, Patrick Naughton, said: "I'm extremely proud that they have taken on board all the things we have taught about bullying.

"A significant group of them have a good understanding of how to help avoid it and care for others."