A BRAVE nine-year-old is fighting back against bullying by launching his very own poster campaign in school.

Jack Leach, from Copmanthorpe, decided he had had enough of bullying and wanted to make sure no one else had to be as upset as he had been.

He has designed his own anti-bullying posters, telling his school mates to “be a friend not a bully.”

Jack said he was inspired when a teacher spoke to the children about bullying at his school, Copmanthorpe Primary.

“I thought ‘why don’t I do something about this?’ I looked at my past, because I used to get bullied quite a bit.

“I thought ‘I’ve had enough of bullying’. The posters might not stop everything but some choice slogans might stop a few people.”

Jack had endured years of bullying, his mum, Amanda, said, but instead of lashing out he had decided do everything he could to put a stop to it.

With help from Amanda, dad Daniel and sister Ella, seven, Jack has come up with three poster designs to go up in school.

One tells children to “be a superhero”, another to “be a friend not a bully”, and the third announced a bully-free zone.

He has also started keeping an eye out for other children being picked on, and comforting his school mates when they are struggling.

“It’s worse for me in PE because I am not very good at football and I often muddle it up and others blame it on me,” he said.

“I saw one boy in PE in tears so I went and told him not to worry, because everyone is good at something, and everyone has a talent. I just wanted to be nice to him, so I hope it helped.”

Now he has given his posters to teachers, and he is getting ready to take part in the school’s anti-bullying week in November.

Jack’s parents said they were proud to see their son trying to help other children.

Amanda said: “Jack’s in his own eccentric little world. He’s a senstive little man, and very in touch with his emotions. We are very proud of him, but he doesn’t always fit the box.

“If the world had more Jacks I think it would be a happier place.”

Dad Daniel said: “I know kids will always be nasty to kids, but Jack has handled this so well.

“A lot of people would have retaliated to bullies, but he has been very mature and now he’s trying to reduce it, and that’s the right thing to do.”

Judith Rigg, head teacher at Copmanthorpe Primary, where Jack is in Year 5, said Jack came to her with the idea for an anti-bullying campaign, and is taking the lead on anti-bullying week in school.