PRIMARY school pupils were encouraged to give racism the red card with the help of football stars.

Blackburn Rovers players Charlie Mulgrew and Joe Nuttall answered questions from primary school pupils in the area at the educational event.

Just under 100 students from St Stephen’s Primary School and St Aidan’s Primary School in Blackburn attended the event at Ewood Park.

It was hosted by Blackburn Rovers Community Trust and run by the Show Racism the Red Card as part of anti-bullying week.

Rovers captain Mulgrew said: “It’s important that they are educated on the rights and wrongs of what to do if they are racially abused or bullied.

“It’s really important they learn to report it and we’re happy to come along and support that and answer their questions.

“It’s important that we eradicate it from the game and school life early on and that will help it go away.”

The best questions from the pupils to players were handed a prize by club staff, including signed squad posters.

The winning submission was: "If you were to create a law about bullying and racism what would it be and why?’

Organisers said the day was beneficial to students and taught them valuable lessons.

Ilyas Patel, community inclusion manager at the community trust, said: “It’s been an absolutely brilliant event, it has definitely been worthwhile.

“It’s about getting the message across and it has definitely got through to the children today.

“It is good for the young people as well to have the players themselves getting the message across.”

Pupils also took part in two workshops as part of the event, the first on hate crime and the effect it has and the second on racism.

They were also given a guided tour of the ground as part of the day.

Pupils were asked a variety of questions on racism such as ‘who do you think should try and stop racism?’ and ‘who does racism cause harm to?’They then answered on voting pads.

The results were then collected by Show Racism the Red Card who will compile statistics from the session.

The event was part of a series of 15 educational events with football clubs in England to educate about hate crime as part of a project supported by Department for Communities and Local Government.

Gavin Sutherland, campaign co-ordinator, said: “It has been a really great day and I think the children have really taken something from it.

“Having players here, who are their role models, is great for the cause.”