A CAMPAIGN backed by the Somerset County Gazette back in 2004 has helped Life Education to provide valuable advice and support to schools across the county on the subject of drug misuse.

In the light of our new Zero Tolerance campaign, we look back to see how our previous drugs campaign helped the community.

The Stop it Before it Starts campaign helped to raise the first £120,000 to get a programme started for Life Education.

Helen Foster, chairman of Life Education Somerset, said: "The Gazette has been rather modest about their contribution to getting us started in Somerset.

"The publicity they gave in their Stop it before it Starts campaign was invaluable in helping us raise the first £120,000 from the community to start our service in January 2004.

"After our success in Taunton, a second appeal was heavily supported by all the Rotary Clubs in Somerset and enabled us to put a second mobile classroom into service in South Somerset and Mendip in September 2006.

"This year we have visited 117 schools and seen 21,500 children across the whole county."

Life Education works closely with the school drugs advisor and provides invaluable support to the schools' own work in health and drug education. A number of schools engaged in the National Healthy Schools programme include a visit from Life Education as part of their programme.

Most Taunton and Bridgwater schools have already had at least one visit from Life Education; many make it an annual event, well integrated into their health education curriculum.

With individual programmes specially prepared for all ages from nursery to year six, children receive information that is appropriate to their age.

In the youngest age groups, the emphasis is on what their bodies need to be healthy - food, exercise, rest, personal hygiene - and how each of us is special.

As children get older they receive fact based education about tobacco, alcohol and drugs from our professionally trained educator who can counter what they are learning from so called 'friends' on the streets and who has also been specially trained to help them deal with peer pressure and bullying.

Life Education is about encouraging children to be positive about their health, valuing their body and recognizing risk. It is about helping them develop the life skills to say no to drugs, not because that's what they are taught, but rather because that's what they want to do for themselves.

BLOB: If you or your school would like more information about Life Education, e-mail David Montgomery at montylifeed@googlemail.com or ring 018234-461723.

Life Education is now taking bookings for Spring and Summer 2008. We are also eager to talk to anyone in the community who would like to help.