ON THE PULL: A record-breaking strongman pulled a 10-ton bus 40ft across the car park at Abbey College in Ramsey on Wednesday (October 14). Dave Gauder, otherwise known as Big Dave, has pulled Concorde 40ft along the runway at Heathrow Airport and lifted

ON THE PULL: A record-breaking strongman pulled a 10-ton bus 40ft across the car park at Abbey College in Ramsey on Wednesday (October 14).

Dave Gauder, otherwise known as Big Dave, has pulled Concorde 40ft along the runway at Heathrow Airport and lifted an eight-ton London double-decker bus completely off the ground in Covent Garden.

But his latest challenge is to motivate school children as part of Bullying Awareness Day getting students to think about all aspects of bullying - particularly about the victim and their feelings.

Mr Gauder, who was himself bullied at school, runs an anti-bullying campaign focusing on empowering young people with the skills to deal with bullying.

Dave, who was bullied for over two years, said: "The bullies forced me to break the law and steal for them, making life a misery.

"To avoid the bullies I began feigning illnesses. After several months, my parents confronted me about what was wrong and I eventually told them that he was being bullied.

"As a result of these childhood experiences I decided to put together his show."

As well as showing students what can be achieved - by pulling a vintage double-decker Leyland bus, supplied by Dew's Coaches - the youngsters were taught about respect and the need to talk about bullying.

They also watched a promotional video which was was produced with the help of a Year 11 Abbey College student, Dan Austin, while on work experience with E-NGAGE, a company based in Warboys which specialises in ICT solutions for learning needs. The video is now used in schools, both nationally and internationally, to promote Big Dave's anti-bullying message.

The day's activities also included drama workshops with Year 7 students on anti-bullying strategies.