DONATED books are helping a north Durham school raise awareness of bullying and other social problems among pupils.

Copies of A Young Person's Guide to Bullying were supplied to the Villa Real Special School, in Consett, by the Children's Safety Education Foundation, a national charity.

Alan Edwards who has been working as a fundraiser with the CSEF for nine years, said: "We receive such a variety of donations from a range of donors, but as the saying goes, every little bit really does help."

The guidebooks are supplied with posters and leaflets.

Mr Edwards hopes they can become an integrated part of the education process.

He added: "They are designed for use in a variety of contexts, from the maths classroom to homework tasks. In this way we can ensure the message reaches and is reinforced by parents as well."

The donation was supported by Go North East as part of its Busmiles community investment programme.