AN artistic youngster has won a prize of a personal CD player for drawing attention to the problem of bullying.

Eight-year-old Andrew Redmayne, of Belmont Primary School, designed a poster to encourage children to be friends.

His was chosen by a panel of judges, including TV celebrities Ant and Dec, as the best for his age group in the North-East. Ant McPartlin said: "We were honoured to be asked to judge this competition based on a subject we feel strongly about.

"Bullying is still a major problem, so it is encouraging to see that many children took the time to put so much effort into their entries."

Andrew's poster shows two heads close together with a heart under the slogan - Be a friend - don't bully. It also displays the Childline number.

The competition was organised by the Department for Education and Skills and Childline.

Karen Roberts, a teacher at Andrew's school, said: "He has done exceptionally well and shown a real flair for art.

"This is part of a campaign to raise awareness of bullying so schools can counter the problem. We are all very proud of Andrew."