PRESS RELEASE

Local lad, Shyres Sutherland (11), is one of the stars of a series of new animated shorts produced by Nickelodeon UK in conjunction with ChildLine. The four animations were created as part of Nickelodeon's ‘See Something, Say Something' anti-bullying scheme, which encourages kids to speak out about bullying.

The council was approached by producers looking for young people willing to share their experiences of bullying. Shyres, who attends Copland School, bravely relates a time when he was a bully and what made him stop. Shyres was asked to take part whilst attending Brent Council's Junior Youth Inclusion Programmes in Church End which is for 8 - 12 year olds.

The Junior Youth Inclusion Programme in Church End opened in 2003 and works with young people who are referred by parents, schools, youth services and the police. By targeting the young people most likely to get involved in crime and anti-social behaviour and working with them as early as possible the aim is to change their behaviour in ways that will have a lasting impact.

The animated film that tells Shyres' story premiered on Nickelodeon on 10 November and will continue to play throughout anti-bullying week. The film was also screened at the Strictly ChildLine charity ball in October, an event attended by Esther Rantzen, Fiona Bruce, SpongeBob SquarePants and the stars of Strictly Come Dancing. The event raised £240,000 for ChildLine. The series is available on the Nickelodeon website www.nick.co.uk/#/clips/1339/ and will continue to be aired on the Nickelodeon channel over the coming months.

Shyres Sutherland, said: "These animations are great because they help tell kids what happens when you bully people and lets them know that if they get bullied they can turn around and tell someone. If you're a bully, you should stop and think what you are doing to that other person."

Cllr Hayley Matthews, Lead Member for Community Safety, said: "I'd like to commend Shyres for having the courage to tell his story about being a bully and what made him stop. The council, working with its partners at the Youth Inclusion Programme, do fantastic work with young people in the borough encouraging them against anti-social behaviour which includes bullying."

Jane Laffey, Creative Manager at Nickelodeon, Executive Producer of the shorts said: "The four children who volunteered to share their stories of bullying showed incredible bravery. Their story telling and the imagery they used to describe their experiences helped create four very powerful films. I have no doubt that these films will encourage other children affected by bullying to speak out and ask for help. For that Shyres and the other three children should be incredibly proud."