Bullying UK to merge with Parentline Plus
Howard Lake | 15 November 2010 | News
Anti-bullying charity Bullying UK today merges with Parentline Plus, part of the Family Lives Group.
The merger comes during National Anti-Bullying Week (15th – 19th November) and follows research carried out by Parentline Plus from calls to their free 0808 800 2222 Parentline which shows most bullying happens in schools.
Bullying UK’s co-founder, John Carnell, will become part of the Digital Media team at the merged organisation. He founded Bullying Online in 1999 following his experiences at school, and the charity rebranded as Bullying UK in 2007. Its core principle is to provide support to as many people as possible for the lowest cost.
Jeremy Todd, Parentline Plus Chief Executive said: “I am delighted that Bullying UK is to join forces with Parentline Plus. We believe combining the skills, expertise and profile of Parentline Plus and Bullying UK will enable us to support parents to find the best way through issues relating to bullying and the problems associated with it. John Carnell is a welcome addition to Parentline Plus’s Digital Media Team and his knowledge and expertise will help us increase still further the breadth and scope of our work supporting families throughout the UK.”
John Carnell said: “Bullying UK supports over 500,000 people a year through a range of innovative services. Merging with Parentline Plus will bring a huge benefit to both organisations strengthening our ability to respond to the challenges faced by families across the UK.”
The merger of the two organisations comes as Parentline Plus recently launched its ‘Dealing with the Bullies’ briefing paper which calls for parents of bullies to receive support to tackle their bullying behaviour. Between October 2008 and April 2010, Parentline Plus’ free 24 hour helpline received 67,983 long calls of which 3,331 calls concerned bullying. This amounts to 5% of all long calls to Parentline Plus.
Bullying UK under John Carnell’s leadership has developed a reputation as one of the leading exponents of digital and social media in the UK charity sector. Carnell has created many award-winning projects, including the TalkTalk Innovation Award 2008 for his ‘Click, Create & Print’ and the BT Seen and Heard Award 2007.
www.parentlineplus.org.uk
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.