schoolgirl Joanne Geldart took her plea for more action on bullying direct to Number 10 yesterday.

The courageous 14-year-old, who contemplated suicide in her darkest moments, became a figurehead for a children's commissioner campaign, led by the NSPCC, after revealing her harrowing tale exclusively to The Northern Echo in June.

Joanne, from Ferryhill, County Durham, is determined to reveal the full horror of bullying to Tony Blair and press the Government to introduce a champion of children's rights.

Her sad story, made public though a diary detailing brutal abuse, sparked huge media interest and she has become a poignant spokesperson for bullying victims nationwide.

Joanne and her mother, Anne, a NSPCC campaigner who accompanied her to London yesterday, are hopeful over the outcome of Joanne's hand-delivered letter.

"I really want to meet Tony Blair face-to-face and tell him of my torment, as well as speak up for every bullied child in Britain who is too scared to talk," said Ferryhill Comprehensive School pupil Joanne. "If I get a meeting with him, this trip has been worthwhile."

Tony Blair is Joanne's local MP, and she made the trip to Downing Street after after two previous requests to meet him in his Sedgefield constituency were unsuccessful.

Ironically, Joanne has made peace with some of her previous bullies though her campaigning.

Anne said: "Joanne hasn't had as much flak from her bullies as we had anticipated.

"She has helped them become more aware of the consequences of their actions, and it is this kind of awareness-raising exercise that we need to see happen on a larger scale."

An NSPCC spokesman also accompanied Joanne on her trip. The charity is hopeful that the Geldarts will get a call from Number 10 in the next few days.

"We hope Tony Blair does meet Joanne. That would be the right and sensible thing to do as she is speaking up for her generation."

Nearly half of children experience bullying at some point and one in 12 suffer sustained attacks, according to the NSPCC.

Wales already has a Children's Commissioner and Scotland and Ulster are moving ahead with plans for similar posts.