NEWS

Victims of 'mobile bullying' as young as 11
 
One in 10 children across the UK have had a threatening or embarrassing photograph taken of them on a mobile phone, reveals research by Methodist charity NCH and Tesco Mobile.
 
A total of 17 per cent of mobile photo bullying victims - aged 11 to 19 - say this image was also sent to other people.
 
The survey shows that one in five have been bullied or threatened via their mobile phone or computer.

Text bullying is the biggest problem. A total of 14 per cent have been bullied or threatened via text message, compared to five per cent in internet chat-rooms and four per cent via e-mail.

Tesco Mobile has joined forces with leading children's charity NCH to tackle the problem of mobile phone bullying, and has plans for an interactive website (soon to go live) - www.stoptextbully.com - that will give advice and support for young people affected by this issue.

Tesco Mobile has also launched a text back service to provide another way for young people to find out where to get help with mobile bullying. Mobile users just text the word BULLY to 60000 to receive a message with advice on how to get support. 

Pioneering developments help couples stay together

The UK’s first ‘Housing with Care’ developments for older people living with dementia, created by charity Methodist Homes, are being welcomed by experts in the field as a breakthrough in providing more choice and opportunities for older people with dementia.

The pioneering developments in Swindon and Leeds are designed to broaden the range of options available to couples where one person has dementia, offering them a purpose-built home of their own, with on-site access to the care and support they need.

They present an important third option to partners who currently face the choice of managing at home or living separately as one partner moves into a care home.

Apartments at both sites are equipped to host the very latest “assistive technologies” designed to help people orient themselves, to promote mobility and independence and to provide unobtrusive security and peace of mind for the caring partner.

Spaniards plan march on Madrid to protect family life

Thousands of Catholic families from all over Spain will take part in a demonstration in Madrid on 18 June, to protest against government plans to allow same-sex marriages, immediate divorce, and other policies seen as threatening family life.

The demonstration, organised by the Spanish Forum of Families has the slogan: 'The family is important. For the right to a mother and father. For freedom'.

The event will start at 6pm in Plaza Cibeles and will move to Puerta del Sol where there will be the reading of a manifesto calling for integral policy to protect the family.

Following a campaign which collected 700,000 signatures, the Forum is promoting this demonstration "to show that very many Spaniards are deeply concerned about this policy which offends and undermines the family", said Benigno Blanco Vice-president of Forum.

The event has been advertised in 50 cities all over the country and 150 associations have already said they will be taking part. Besides private means of transport participants will arrive by bus from 30 different towns, (200 buses have booked parking space in the capital) and five special flights: two from Majorca and three from the Canary Islands.

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