LEIGH area schools are committed to beating the bully in the playground.

And at Bedford High their innovative anti-bullying scheme has won rare recognition.

Last year the school's peer mentoring programme, introduced in 1999, won the top Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Award for Young People.

The peer mentors, year 10 students nominated by two or more of their teachers, give up their lunch hours to run a sanctuary, a private room where students from the lower school can go to talk out their problems with older pupils.

The scheme proved so successful deputy head Mrs Val Storey can report she has spoken to less troubled children as a result.

The yellow badge mentors can be found in the sanctuary every weekday lunchtime except Thursday. They are sworn to secrecy about their clients' problems - unless they are very serious, in which case a teacher must be told.

The prestigious award was collected by this year's head girl Amy-Louise Revans and head of year 10 Mrs Jane Kay, pictured.

Teacher Mr Jim Yeo said: "The scheme has made a big impact, and our bullying policy is acted out through drama classes.

"We could not claim to have eradicated bullying totally, but we are going down the right road."