A TEENAGER from Rudheath has been chosen by a charity to lead the way in anti-bullying campaigns in schools across the UK.

Paige Keen, who has been an anti-bullying ambassador at Rudheath Senior Academy for more than three years, emerged from hundreds of other applicants to win a place on The Diana Award’s national youth board.

It means her views and experiences will help form the foundation for each of the organisation’s various anti-bullying programmes.

Year 10 pupil Paige is determined to embrace the opportunity to make a difference on a national scale.

“I’ve loved every minute of being an anti-bullying ambassador at Rudheath, so I was thrilled to be chosen to be part of national youth board,” she said.

“It is an absolute honour, as there were hundreds of applicants.

“Being on the board is a way for me to have a voice on a national level, and I’ll represent my school and the charity to the best of my ability.

“Everyone on the board has an equal role, and we all aim to make a positive difference by working together as a team, hopefully meeting up in London once lockdown is over.”

The Diana Award is a charity legacy to Diana, Princess of Wales, who believed that young people have the power to change the world.

Its anti-bullying campaigns offer resources and training to schools and youth organisations across the UK, helping to educate people and promoting a culture which celebrates and tolerates difference.

Rudheath Senior Academy also provides its own platform in the drive to stamp out bullying.

As well as working within the school, ambassadors like Paige have trained more than 300 other pupils from 15 nearby primary schools to identify classmates in need of help.

Sandra Skellington, teaching assistant and anti-bullying coordinator at Rudheath, said: “We are very proud of Paige’s achievement and will support her fully within her new role.

“We’ve had anti-bullying ambassadors in school for four years, and the difference they have made has been phenomenal.

“We know students prefer to speak to peers, so we have made that possible with ambassadors in every year group.

“They are also our eyes and ears on social media, and they have received training to spot online hate crime.

“They have made such a huge difference that we felt we had to share it with our local primary schools. I’m very proud to be part of it.”

The school joined North West Academies Trust last year and is currently undergoing a £6m transformation, with most of the work due for completion in July.