A SOUTH Yorkshire mum whose son suffered for 10 years at the hands of bullies has started a campaign to create a dedicated school for victims in the area.
Michele Fudge wants to open up a Red Balloon Centre, offering children who have dropped out of education because of bullying a place to continue their studies safely.
The 49-year-old is passionate about the cause after her son Scott, now aged 20, suffered a nightmare ordeal throughout his childhood and adolescence because of cruel treatment by bullies.
The idea behind the Red Balloon Centre - founded by Dr Carrie Herbert, a specialist teacher and writer in harassment and bullying - is to give children a place to continue learning away from the bullies.
Pupils can either stay until they are rehabilitated and their self-esteem is recovered enough to re-enter mainstream education, or continue there until they reach 18.
The overall aim of the scheme is to reduce acts of self-harm and even suicide that depressed and bullied children who feel they are isolated and alone can resort to.
Michele, from Sunnyside, Rotherham, said: "We want to rescue the children who are falling out of education en masse because of bullying, intimidation and threats.
"We have to protect them, and not just give them drugs when their thoughts turn to self-harm, or ignore them when they report what is happening to them. These are the good kids who have fallen out of school, leaving the bad kids there.
"I want to help other parents and stop them from suffering the purgatory that having a bullied child means. Scott was nine going on 10 when the bullying started. He wanted to take his own life at 10, and again at 16, and there was nothing there to help us.
"I know we were not alone, and there are other horrendous cases of bullying in this area. We've already got the backing of the four South Yorkshire authorities who agree there is a need for the centre, and now we need to raise the money to make it happen and give these youngsters their childhood back."
Michele and Dr Herbert are now seeking five trustees to get the £100,000 project off the ground.
Once it is built, the local authorities will staff the facility, with a further £20 to £30,000 needed to run it each year.
She already has the support of local MPs John Healey and David Blunkett, and is meeting with Conservative leader David Cameron in Westminster next month.
E-mail Michele at
nimnim2009@live.co.uk if you are interested in getting involved in bringing the centre to South Yorkshire.
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