A HARD-hitting play putting the spotlight on bullying has been premiered at local schools.

Youngsters at Prestwich High were among the first in the borough to see Alone , commissioned by Bury police. The play graphically illustrates the problems of bullying.

The pupils, who joined in some of the scenes, gave it rave reviews during a question-and-answer session with the cast and local police officers.

The initiative is part of an anti-bullying campaign spearheaded by police officers after a survey revealed that many local children had experienced physical or verbal abuse.

It will be staged at each of the borough's 14 high schools during the next week and could be adopted force-wide throughout Greater Manchester.

Local business chiefs are backing the anti-bullying clampdown by providing cash towards the overall cost of the £4,300 project, with the shortfall coming via the Greater Manchester Shrievalty Police Trust and the Bury education authority.

PC George Evans, Bury police divisional schools liaison officer, came up with the idea of the play after his survey that found 20 per cent of pupils had been bullied and one-in-five had been the victim of street robbery. He decided to target Year 7 pupils as the most vulnerable age group.

He said: "All Year 7 classes, about 2,000 pupils, received a lesson on bullying from me and this is the end result. The whole idea is to get them to think about bullying and that it shouldn't be tolerated."

The play, performed by Denton-based Mainstream Theatre Arts, shows two young people being systematically bullied by other youngsters, both verbally and physically. The audience is asked by the two victims for advice on how to deal with various situations.

Prestwich High pupils Ashley Annesley and Jason Livesey, both 12, gave Alone the thumbs up.

"It shows what it is like to be bullied and might make people feel guilty. Most bullies don't know what it is like and if they think, they might put a stop to what they are doing," said Ashley.

Jason added: "People are scared to tell people they are getting bullied as they are frightened they will get beaten up. This might make them think about what to do."

Writer David Chadderton based the play on real life experiences. He said: "We do not give them nice, easy answers. I am trying to provoke a discussion and get them to think about their behaviour.

"I did research for the play discussing bullying with other people and wrote about things that I can remember happening to me or people I know. Everything that is in the play has actually happened to me or somebody I have spoken to."

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