The scheme is being launched by Teignbridge Student Council in an effort to combat bullying in the area.

The cards carry the telephone numbers for the charities Childline and The Samaritans, as well as contact details for the student council's own counselling service.

The student council, which sits alongside Teignbridge District Council, is made up of elected sixth form students from local schools and colleges.

It proposed the idea for the anti-bullying card scheme, and the district council printed 7,000 of the cards.

High priority

Student council chairwomen Sophia Brunt, 17, said: "50% of students admit to being bullied.

"If only a few of these can be helped it will have been worth it. This is the first of many steps towards solving issues which affect young people."

Teignbridge District Council spokeswoman Rebecca Gordon said that when the student council was consulted on issues that concerned young people, bullying had emerged as a high priority.

Esther Rantzen is supporting the scheme

"Students want to break the silence of those being bullied by providing contacts at all levels for national and local confidential support," she said.

"They decided that the help should be widely available and permanent. Such a tall order would daunt the most hardened policy makers but the Teignbridge Student Council put their heads together and created the anti-bullying card."

The scheme has won backing from TV presenter Esther Rantzen, chairperson of Childline.

She said: "We fully support Teignbridge Student Council in their work to tackle bullying in schools, we must all work together to end the pain that bullying causes.