MANY schoolchildren are bullied - and the effects can last long after the child has grown up and left school.

An independent website is proving a valuable resource for schoolchildren, parents and teachers wanting to find out what to do about the problem.

Bullying Online (http://www.bullying.co.uk) was set up by a John Carnell, a former student of Harrogate Grammar School.

He was abused by other children in 1994 but is now using the internet to help other victims.

The site now receives more than 20 e-mails a day from children and adults asking for information, and it is to be part of a schools project designed to give children an experience of the web.

The site is managed by John's mother Liz Carnell who said: "The site came from our experiences of bullying as at the time we could not find enough information to help us.

"The information we have gathered we put in to a website and we have had a fantastic response from people.

"It features legal advice and model letters to send to schools to make sure you get a good response. In our case, we felt the school did not do enough, but it is now law to have a policy on bullying.

"We are adding things all the time and we will be adding a section for adults that were bullied at school because we have had a number of e-mails from people asking where they can voice their stories and experiences."

Although the site has not received any backing from the local authority, it is to be included within a web experience project involving more than 70 schools.

There are other bullying resources available online. Childline, the charity which provides a listening ear for children in distress, offers advice on its website (http://www.childline.org.uk/bullying.html).

The BBC has a survival guide (http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/bully/index.htm) which includes comments from some famous people who have been victims of bullying, including comedienne Jo Brand and Sir Cliff Richard.

A New Zealand-based site called No Bully (http://www.nobully.org.nz) is suitable for young children. Dogs Bo and Spot help them find their way around the site, which has the support of the New Zealand police.

ONE hundred 100-year-olds are being sought to contribute to a new website.

Encarta, the company behind the popular CD-ROM encyclopaedia, plans to launch the Encarta Recollections of a Century site before the New Year.

The aim is to give a valuable insight into life in the 20th century.

Jonathan Hulse, product marketing manager for Microsoft Encarta Encyclopaedia 2000, said: "As we get to the end of this century, we must remember that older people have some fantastic stories to tell that can contribute to this living history on the web. Too often we take them, and their experiences for granted.

"We wanted to create the Encarta Recollections of a Century site to capture their unique personal histories forever, and provide an online history for generations to come." If you know someone who is 100 or older this year, and who has an interesting tale to tell about life earlier this century, Encarta would like to hear from you.

You should write what their story is in no more than 50 words, and tell the person concerned that you are nominating them. The centenarians with the best stories will be contacted to arrange an interview to capture the full story.

The closing date for nominations is December 6. They should be sent to Sylvie Rose, Encarta Recollections, 77 Wimpole Street, London W1M 7DD.

LEONARDO DiCaprio has been a busy boy since Titanic.

Leo, whose new film The Beach is based on Alex Garland's backpacker novel of the same name, has been appointed chairman of the environmental campaign Earth Day, which is calling for urgent action to end global warming.

He has also found time to launch his own film festival.

The annual Leonardo DiCaprio International Online Short Film Festival - to be forever known as LeoFest - is now accepting films of 15 minutes or less from filmmakers around the world. Information on these and more of Leo's activities can be found on his official website.

http://www.leonardodicaprio.com

THE BBC has a millennium holiday competition for all those with no celebration plans, which can be entered right up to the last minute. http://bbc.co.uk/millennium

MOVING house? Use this site to tell everyone about it. http://www.ihavemoved.com

Seen something interesting on the web? Send an e-mail to vcowan@

newsquest.co.uk

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.