THE mother of murdered gap year student Sophie Lancaster has launched an educational game which encourages children to be tolerant.

Sophie, 20, was kicked and stamped to death by a gang of drunken teenagers in Stubbylee Park, Bacup in August 2007.

The yobs targeted Sophie and her boyfriend Rob Maltby, who survived the attack, because of their alternative appearance.

Family and friends of Haslingden High School pupil have devised the new game through the Sophie Lancaster Foundation charity.

It features 30 cards, which represent different common ethnic, religious and social groups and subcultures.

Players are set a series of tasks, which challenge preconceptions and encourage development in problem solving and team-working skills.

Sylvia Lancaster, Sophie’s mum, said: ”This game has been my dream since 2007, and it is one of the key things we, as a charity, can do to ensure my daughter didn’t die in vain.

“If this scheme can make young people stop and think twice about judging others on appearance that will be a massive accomplishment for our society.”

The game was launched by Sylvia at Kidbrooke Secondary School, Greenwich, London, today.

In the long-term she would like to see it widely used by teachers in PSE classes across the nation.

She said: “To teach young people to be tolerant of others is giving them a crucial skill that will enable them to get on in life.

“Working many years as a youth worker has taught me that one of the biggest stumbling blocks for young people with aspirations is their inability to understand or relate to people from different walks of life to them.

"Our game should show them simple techniques that help them break through this barrier.”