The presenter and ChildLine founder joined forces with Northamptonshire charity Service Six to kick off the campaign on Tuesday.

Four years of work and research into bullying by Service Six have paved the way for the campaign, which will promote an anti-bullying message.

Daventry has one of Service Six’s task groups and young people have repeatedly identified bullying as their number one concern.

Service Six provides life changing and lifesaving support and advice to young people, and will provide the staff, resources and training needed to prevent and tackle bullying.

Welcoming the new campaign Claire Sykes, head of house at Danetre School, said: “We are enjoying working with Service Six and the students have responded very positively, appreciating the fact that an agency other than the school is aware of bullying and is helping to reduce it by using various means.

“Service Six is due to come into school to run some conferences for Key Stage Three students this month and we are all really looking forward to this.

“We have a young persons’ task group in school which is also independently on other projects to raise awareness of the problems of bullying and how to combat this.”

A donation of £15,000 has secured the campaign launch, but Service Six is now fundraising to reach its target of £150,000 for the new campaign.

Service Six chairman Patricia Jones said: “Our new campaign will seek to harness the energy and enthusiasm of young people, something we must do to if we are to challenge bullying effectively.

“This is the key to changing the culture. So, for all the different approaches to bullying that we have tried – such as poster campaigns, marketing and workshops – the most effective measure has always been to engage young people, so that they can challenge bullying in their own environment.

“This is the way the message that bullying is not acceptable becomes part of the their day-to-day culture.”

To find out more about Service Six go to www. servicesix.co.uk.