View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Archive content
September 9, 2004updated 22 Nov 2022 12:02pm

Echo helpline aims to help fight Merseyside Bullies

By Press Gazette

The Echo’s 1st Sept Splash & The Campaign Poster

The Liverpool Echo is launching a helpline in Merseyside to cope with an increase of bullying cases.

The paper claims that Bully Busters is the only helpline in the country solely dedicated to the problems of bullying.

Set up as a free and confidential service, it was born after 18 months of planning and fundraising with the backing of all Merseyside education authorities.

At the start of the month, a team of specially trained staff began taking calls from victims, parents or people with information about bullying.

The Echo dedicated a splash and three pages to the campaign and printed 3,000 posters, which have been put up around schools in the area. Assistant editor Andy Edwards, who helped coordinate the service, is, said it is hop0ed that other newspapers in the Echo’s publishing group, Trinity Mirror, will follow suit and set up helplines elsewhere in the country.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

“We often spread our best ideas throughout the group,” he said, “so we will see how successful this becomes and consider whether it can be taken to other Trinity titles.” The service aims to take some of the burden from ChildLine, which has recorded a marked increase in phone calls about bullying.

The region’s local education authorities, the TUC and the Safer Merseyside Partnership provided the majority of the £120,000 funding to run the scheme for its first year.

If it reaches its target number of calls, Bully Busters will become a permanent service for the children of Merseyside and will be funded in the same way.

Edwards said: “The thing that has struck me most is the enormous effort put in by so many people.

“Often newspapers and organisations will clash on issues like this, but we have found common ground and hit on a way of dealing with the problem together.” Echo editor Mark Dickinson added: “There are children in Merseyside who feel they have nowhere to turn. Now they have someone who will listen to their problems.”

Sarah Lagan

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network