Eight former sixth formers at the Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School have won a prestigious Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Award.

The girls, who left the Queens Road school last summer, were leading lights in its Open Door counselling scheme, through which they helped other students deal with their personal problems.

They were nominated as a group for the award by students on the school council. They are: Jill Atkins, Josie Barnes, Luisa Beltran, Caroline Bourke, Mylene Bright, Lucy Peace, Selina Sivapalan and Angela Whelan.

After applying, each of them attended training sessions out of school time, helped set up the scheme and gave up lunch times and time after school to see pupils who wanted to talk about their concerns.

Teacher Kate Barley said other pupils were involved in the scheme, but "these were the ones who gave an exceptional amount of time and energy to it."

The Open Door initiative was set up in September 1999 and, says Mrs Barley, it has proved to be "a very useful first stop for an awful lot of girls."

She added: "We are extremely proud of them and I think the nice thing was that they did it quietly and relatively anonymously, for the good of other girls, so it was nice in the end that it was publicly acknowledged." The eight girls have received their award certificates.

The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Award is given to students who have made "an outstanding contribution to the school or the community." In becoming a holder of the award, the Ursuline joins a small group of schools across the UK.

All schools can nominate a pupil or a group of pupils each academic year.

To find out more, call 020 8709 9910, visit the website www.educationextra.org.uk or write to Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Award for Young People, Education Extra, 17 Old Ford Road, London E2 9PL.

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