EXCLUSIVE: The principal of north Hull's Thomas Ferens Academy has resigned after poor GCSE results for the second year running.

Juliet Strang stepped down with immediate effect this week after provisional figures showed just 20 per cent of pupils at the school hit the Government benchmark of five A* to C grades including English and maths.

The £24m academy has only been open for two years, but has already faced criticism, including a warning from the Government to improve just a year after opening.

The academy was also forced to apologise last week after about 20 pupils had their GCSE results withheld in a row over payment for tablet computers.

The Mail understands the academy was recently visited by Ofsted inspectors, who are likely to be critical.

Parents have been sent letters informing them of Ms Strang's departure and staff were given the news last night.

Ms Strang, who was head at the Villiers School in London for 14 years before taking the helm at Thomas Ferens, said: "When I joined Thomas Ferens Academy I committed to raising achievement.

"Unfortunately, despite a great deal of hard work by all, this year's GCSE results were very disappointing. As a result, I have made the decision to resign.

"I have no doubt that the academy will flourish in the future, and wish all students, families and staff the greatest success."

The academy faced stinging criticism just a year after opening for its unacceptably low GCSE results.

Just 20 per cent of pupils gained the Government benchmark of five A* to C grades including English and maths last summer.

It was 12 per cent less than the closed Sir Henry Cooper School, where the majority of the pupils came from, and woefully short of the predicted 43 per cent.

The shortcomings earned a sharp rebuke from the Government.

Governors were sent a "pre- warning" letter ordering immediate improvement.

Lord Nash, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Schools, said standards were unacceptably low and told leaders at the academy to make rapid improvements or face Government officials appointing additional directors to the school.

It was expected the academy would improve.

However, last week, it once again posted disastrous results.

Provisional results suggest just 20 per cent of pupils achieved a new, tougher gold standard.

The results were lower than the Government floor target of 40 per cent, and significantly short of expectations.

Thomas Ferens Academy is now working closely with Sirius Academy in Anlaby Park Road South, west Hull, in an attempt to drive up standards.

Andrew Dulson, who is an experienced senior leader of Sirius Academy, has been appointed as interim principal.

Mr Dulson will take the helm for the new academic year, which starts next week, and will work closely with Dr Cathy Taylor, the principal of Sirius Academy, to make sure students achieve their academic potential.

In March, Sirius Academy was judged by Ofsted to be outstanding in all areas.

Dr Taylor said: "I am pleased that Sirius Academy is able to offer support to the staff and students of Thomas Ferens and I look forward to working in partnership to enable students to make rapid and sustained progress."

Dr Richard Heseltine, Chair of governors at Thomas Ferens Academy, said: "This is a new chapter for the academy, one that I am confident will be exciting, challenging and rewarding. It is a great example of schools in Hull working together for the benefit of our young people."

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A LEADING independent fashion firm has moved to the Prospect Shopping Centre. Bolo, which has been a feature of Hull's high street for 24 years, has relocated from Princes Quay.

The business is also now running two shops for the first time in its history, with a second store in Toll Gavel, Beverley.

Steve Wilks owns the company with his brother Paul and believes the move will increase the number of customers.

He said: "The footfall at Prospect Shopping Centre is in a totally different league.

"The management have been absolutely fantastic – they've welcomed us with open arms."

Bolo sells brands including Barbour International, Adidas Originals and Boss and has won several awards since setting up shop.

The firm joins a growing clothing hub at the centre in Prospect Street, which already houses an Evans and Officers Club.

Paul said: "Prospect Shopping Centre is situated right in the heart of the city and has continued to grow in reputation over the past few years.

"I am delighted Bolo will now be in a position to make the most of the impressive footfall.

"It was beneficial for the store to move to such a prominent unit and I am sure visitors to Prospect Shopping Centre will enjoy the different range of clothing we have in stock."

Prospect Shopping Centre is expecting eight million visitors this year.

Footfall figures released last month by Hull Business Improvement District showed Prospect Street shopper numbers had increased by a third on the previous year, rising from 260,000 in May last year to 344,000 for the same month this year.

Prospect Centre manager Lee Appleton said: "Bolo is one of Hull's success stories and we are looking forward to helping them with their continued success.

"Our rising footfall figures are attracting a high calibre of retailers to establish themselves in our units, which is demonstrated by the quality of the retailers we have here.

"The centre has a fantastic fashion offering available and Bolo's addition will add to the vast range of choice."

Prospect Shopping Centre launched an upstairs food court called StrEAT in November.

Mr Appleton said it was filling up fast, with another new outlet set to move in soon.

He aims to have StrEAT, which includes an El Taco Loco and Burger King, full by mid-October.

Prospect Shopping Centre has also sought to strengthen its position in the retail market by giving employees additional training.

Staff last month secured accreditations used by volunteers for the London Olympics.

The city centre precinct's 19- strong customer service team was given WorldHost training.

Lee Appleton, centre manager, said: "It shows a commitment to providing the highest levels of customer service and prepares our team to provide those levels when we welcome tourists visiting Hull for the UK City of Culture."

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A CLEANER who raided students' bedrooms and stole electrical items has been jailed. Jack Barnes, 26, had access to 2,000 students' bedrooms across the city through his work for Hull Cleaning & Supplies.

The company carried out work for Unicom Accommodation, one of the largest student housing companies in the city.

Barnes, of Riby Court, north Hull, used a key provided by the company to get into the bedrooms and steal items including games consoles and mobile phones.

He has been jailed for 16 months after pleading guilty to two counts of burglary and one count of attempted burglary when he appeared at Hull Crown Court.

The court heard the occupants of a shared student house in Carrington Avenue, Cottingham, had left the property locked when they went out on August 2.

Prosecutor Joanne Jenkins said: "When they returned at 4.30pm, they discovered the property had been entered.

"There was no damage, but a Sony Xperia mobile phone, a Nintendo games console and various games had been stolen.

"There was no sign of any forced entry and the only other person to have a key was Unicom, for cleaning purposes."

The second set of offences occurred at flats in Salisbury Street, west Hull, on August 3.

One of the residents, Jonathan Hall, was in the house with his partner at 7am when he heard a noise.

Ms Jenkins said: "He was awoken by the sound of someone opening the door and then a key being turned in the lock, however the dead bolt lock was on so no one from the outside could get in."

Mr Hall went to see who was on the other side of the door and came face-to-face with Barnes, who said he was from Unicom and that he was there to clean one of the other flats.

Mr Hall directed him to where the flat was and returned to his property.

Ms Jenkins said: "Later, Mr Hall heard what he described as drawers being opened erratically in the flat above him and someone dragging bags down the stairs.

"He then heard a key in his door again."

Investigating what was happening, Mr Hall again came across Barnes, who told him he was trying to get into the flat upstairs.

Mr Hall smelt alcohol on Barnes and told him he was going to report him to Unicom.

Barnes replied: "Please don't, I will lose my job."

Mr Hall telephoned Unicom and maintenance manager Martyn Wild visited the Salisbury Street flats.

He approached Barnes to ask what he was doing, but the defendant ran away.

Gary McMaster, the owner of Hull Cleaning & Supplies, was contacted by Unicom and confirmed Barnes was not instructed to clean the properties in Salisbury Street on the date in question.

Police attended and six bin bags filled with consoles and games from one of the flats were discovered at the bottom of the stairs.

Barnes's fingerprints were found on the bags.

He was arrested by police on August 18. The court heard that he has several previous convictions for burglary.

Barnes's solicitor Harold Bloomfield said his client regretted his actions but was realistic enough to expect an immediate prison sentence.

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LEE Radford says it is vital Hull FC retain their focus and end the season on a positive and winning note.

With three games to play and their play-off hopes over, Radford insists the Black and Whites cannot afford to give up on a disappointing campaign.

Adamant a winning end will put Hull in a much better position to start pre-season, Radford concedes his players owe it to themselves and the club's fans to finish brightly, starting with a derby win tonight at the KC Stadium.

"It's massive for the club that we have a positive end to the year," he said.

"The owner wants season ticket sales, the players need to be not going into an off-season kicking stones, but going in with something to look forward to. I think it is really important for us as a club that we finish well.

"We owe ourselves a performance, we owe the fans a performance, we owe the club a performance and the 17 who participate owe themselves a huge effort."

Hull go into this evening's third and final derby of the season hoping to avoid the unwanted tag of becoming the first side to fail to win a Super League derby game in a single season.

Beaten twice on the road, the Black and Whites are hoping home comforts can prove the difference against a Rovers side who must win to keep their play-off ambitions alive.

Familiar adversaries, Radford says KR won't throw up any surprises and that desire will be the telling factor in which team prevails.

"This side are not going to surprise us with any trick plays. We've played them twice and we know them inside out," he said.

"We know their individuals inside out. We know which hand they carry the ball in, which foot they step off and the characteristics of their team.

"The challenge is for our 17 to come with a derby intensity. It's about desire. They have to come and out-derby Hull KR. If the players want it that badly, it will happen."

I usually steer clear of politics on the South Bank. As one Hull councillor regularly puts it: "They're all a load of turnip-crunchers over there."

But the mud-slinging going on over Labour's would-be replacement for the retiring Great Grimsby MP Austin Mitchell has become compelling in recent weeks.

The party's decision to choose from an all-women shortlist has divided opinions, including those of Mr Mitchell himself.

He stirred a hornet's nest by claiming his party is being weakened by all-women shortlists.

He also suggested increasing numbers of women MPs will mean less focus on big ideas and issues at Westminster and more preoccupation with "local problems".

Ed Miliband's aide Anna Yearley then took to Twitter to deny a claim by Mr Mitchell that she had described Northerners as "backward" when choosing women candidates.

The MP's wife Linda McDougall has also joined in, describing how the "Labour sisterhood" had behaved "like trained guerilla fighters" to stitch up the selection process and make her hubby look ridiculous in the process.

Not to be outdone, Hull East MP Karl Turner then took to Twitter to have a pop at Ms McDougall for not mentioning the fact that she had campaigned strongly for one of the shortlisted contenders who failed to get picked.

Dehenna Davison, the Tory parliamentary challenger in Hull North, also got in touch to declare her opposition to all-women shortlists.

"Despite being told often that this proves I don't believe in equality, on the contrary, I argue that it shows a real belief in equality of opportunity and, with it, meritocracy – that the best person for the job should be chosen, regardless of gender, age, race or religion," she said.

Of course, her Labour opponent next year will be the current Hull North MP Diana Johnson, who herself was originally selected as a parliamentary candidate for the seat from an all-women shortlist.

But back to Mr Mitchell and his wife who, as professional broadcasters, know all about securing a headline or two.

Recently, I heard an interview in which she complained about being stitched up by a TV company after they had agreed to Mr Mitchell fronting a documentary on life in the high-rise flats in Orchard Park.

They thought it would be about housing, but Channel 4 decided to see if he could change a nappy and remember the price of a bag of tomatoes.

After that particular episode, I've little sympathy for them.

RESIDENTS are being warned to be vigilant after dozens of garages, sheds and outbuildings were broken into in the Hessle and Willerby areas.

The areas have been targeted by burglars in 48 break-ins since early July, with bicycles, garden equipment and machinery among items stolen.

Humberside Police say they have made 12 arrests in connection with the burglaries and five people have been charged with alleged offences.

Officers are urging residents to make sure they secure their homes and property – particularly sheds, outbuildings and garages – and report anything suspicious.

Sergeant Phil Young said: "It's an ongoing issue in the area.

"If anyone sees anyone acting suspiciously please report it to police, we would rather check it out than not.

"We have had calls in the past week or so from residents."

Sgt Young is urging householders to check their security to avoid becoming a burglary victim.

He said: "People should have a good look at their security, use good locks and consider using property marking devices for items such as bikes, which are high on the burglars' list.

"Security lights are a good deterrent and, if possible, lock portable items in sheds, garages and outbuildings onto something solid to prevent them being picked up and carried away.

"If people would like assistance in reviewing security they should contact their local policing team, who can put them in touch with someone to do a security check."

In the latest spate of break-ins on Sunday night, four garages were targeted in Thornwick Avenue, Willerby. Doors were damaged or locks broken off to gain entry.

No property was reported as being stolen but in the Hessle area fishing gear, garden equipment and machinery has been among items stolen in recent weeks.

Further crime prevention advice is available from local police stations or by calling the non-emergency number 101 to speaking to neighbourhood officers.

• Anyone who has information about burglaries in the Willerby and Hessle areas should call Humberside Police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111, quoting the crime reference number 2064388.

If anyone sees a burglary taking place they should call 999.

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For many participants, the latest charity craze is just a bit of fun.

But when Charlotte Ashfield took on the ice bucket challenge to raise cash for the fight against motor neurone disease, it was personal.

Her father has been living with the condition for almost a decade, with the disease claiming his voice.

The video of Charlotte being doused in freezing water won a Mail competition to find East Yorkshire's best challenge – not because it featured diggers, drag or nudity, but due to her dad Barry's smiling eyes as he watched.

"It's not even about the donations – it's about people knowing what's going on," said Charlotte, 28.

"There's no cure whatsoever – it's just managing it the best you can.

"There's no genetic background to it, it's just one of those absolutely random things that can happen to you. It's a horrible illness."

Barry, 68, worked with computers before the disease made it impossible.

The disease numbed his body muscles first and spread from there.

"It affected all his left side," Charlotte said.

"His arm would hang, his neck would fall.

"He couldn't feed himself or undress himself."

It also damaged his immune system, leading to him contracting pneumonia near Christmas last year.

He spent months at Hull Royal Infirmary and is now slowly recovering at his home in Hessle.

However, Barry must permanently use a ventilator as a consequence of the latest onslaught.

His lungs too weak to overcome the machine, the attack robbed him of the power to talk, walk or swallow.

Cared for by his devoted wife Trudy, children and heath professionals, Barry now communicates with others through looks alone.

The family is hoping to get a high-tech system that will speak for Barry by the end of the year.

"Because of the lack of muscles, he can't speak past the ventilator," said Charlotte, who lives with her parents.

"He's got quite good at doing facial expressions and if worst comes to worst, we can use an ABC chart."

Barry got home a few weeks ago and is in better spirits.

But with the world largely ignorant of motor neurone disease, the family has had to rely on its own strength to get by.

So the ice bucket challenge was an opportunity to Charlotte.

With others finally taking notice of the devastating impact of the condition, she felt the urge to get involved.

She was nominated to take part by former Homebase colleague Adele Grieveson and leapt at the chance to raise awareness.

"I was really looking forward to it," she said.

"We're not very public, it's not what we're all about, but I asked dad and he was fine to be in the video.

"I got home from work and the guy who poured water over me was one of my dad's carers who came in on his day off."

The shock of being soaked in cold water is a bit like the disease itself, Charlotte said.

Participants gasp as the ice hits them, feeling, for a second, the struggle to breathe that victims face every day.

"That moment when you have a bucket of cold water chucked over you, that intake of breath is what they're going through all day, every day," Charlotte said.

The challenge has so far raised more than £48m to fight motor neurone disease but, for many, it is also a chance for a laugh.

Only a few, like Charlotte, know the massive difference that money could make.

• The Mail is donating £100 to the Hull and East Yorkshire Group of the Motor Neurone Disease Association at Charlotte's request.

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He had spent the best part of 60 years collecting miniature buses.

Bus driver Rod Hebden, 65, who is one of the stars of a documentary following the ups and downs of East Yorkshire Motor Services (EYMS) bus drivers, has more than 2,000 toy vehicles in his home.

He said: "I got my very first toy car when I was about 12 months old and it just progressed from there.

"In a time before computers, I think most boys in the 1940s and 1950s would have been given toy cars or trains.

"It wasn't until the very late 1980s, when a company started making high-quality replicas, that I started collecting them seriously."

Rod, of Bellfield Avenue, east Hull, said: "I've always wanted to work as a bus driver. If I could have got a job with EYMS straight from school then I would have done, but it didn't work out like that.

"I retired early from my job with HSBC when I was 55 and I've been working for EYMS now for more than ten years."

The former bank manager and his wife, Sue, often disagree about how many buses he is allowed in the house.

Rod said: "I think she'd like to see me sell a few more, so we could afford to go on more holidays."

Rod is keen on models of Hong Kong buses and has followed his passion overseas.

He said: "They are just fantastic. They are so much bigger and more colourful than the ones you see in Britain."

The final episode of On The Yorkshire Buses will be screened on Channel 5 at 7pm tonight.

Rod made a memorable appearance in the first episode of the show, which saw him get lost down a country lane and rely on the advice of helpful passengers to see him back on track.

He said: "People said I got lost, but what actually happened is I went down the wrong road, which is a subtle, but important difference.

"Almost every day for the past eight weeks I've had passengers making jokes about where they will end up, and obviously, I've had the mickey taken out of me by the other drivers."

Mr Shipp thinks the show has given people a renewed interest in the company.

He said: "We have had a lot of people contacting us to ask where they can buy merchandise or where they can get autographs from some of the show's characters."

Mr Shipp thinks the reason for the show's popularity is down to his staff.

He said: "I think it's partly because we are a family-run company that we do attract a few characters – that definitely makes a difference.

"One thing I've noticed is we attract a lot of bus enthusiasts who are drivers, which is great news.

"I thought it was interesting to show the region in a good light and people having fun."

TOMORROW, the EYMS Big Bus Day returns to Hull.

The event is taking place at Hull's Streetlife Museum, in High Street, from 10am to 4pm.

All proceeds from the day will go to the NSPCC Children's Centre in Hull.

The free event features a display of vintage and modern buses and entertain- ment from the award-winning EYMS Brass Band.

Rod and some of his fellow drivers will ferry passengers in open-top buses and share their enthusiasm for the vehicles.

EYMS chairman Peter Shipp expects this year's event will be one of the busiest ever.

He said: "We think it's going to be popular, but I hope it's not too popular.

"We had more than 5,000 people down at the Big Bus Day last year, so if we have many more than that it would be a bit cramped."

• Transport news from the Hull Daily Mail

Ryan Sharkett, 22, of Lorraine Street, west Hull, was fined £200 and must undergo ten days of treatment for alcohol dependency, and comply with a 12-month community order, for causing £335 of damage to a TV, a mirror and a glass clock, and assault. He was also made subject to a two-year restraining order and must pay £335 compensation, £85 costs, and a £60 surcharge.

Daniel Daddy, 31, of Routh Avenue, Beverley, received a four-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, for assault by beating, twice failing to surrender to custody, and dishonestly undertaking or assisting in the retention, removal, realisation, or disposal of stolen goods, a Blackberry tablet, worth £120. He must pay an £80 surcharge.

Joshua Baker, 19, of Thurstan Close, east Hull, was sent to a young offenders institution for four months for two counts of assault by beating.

Stephen Woods, 29, of Towan Close, Bransholme, received a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, for dishonestly undertaking or assisting in the retention, removal, realisation, or disposal of stolen goods, a Honda motorcycle, worth £4,000. He must pay an £80 surcharge.

Jamie Cooke, 30, of Redmire Close, Bransholme, was jailed for 28 weeks for causing an estimated £100 of damage to an internal wooden door, and two counts of assault by beating against the same female.

Steven Coupland, 56, of Astral Close, Hessle, was fined £300 and had six points put on his licence for failing to identify to police a driver who was alleged to have committed an offence. He must pay £85 costs and a £30 surcharge.

Hull KR coach Chris Chester expects French international Kevin Larroyer to continue his positive contribution in derbies tonight.

Larroyer, who has agreed a new season-long loan at Rovers for next year, has scored in both KR wins over Hull this season.

Larroyer made it clear when he signed for the Robins, that he was looking forward to making his mark in the cross-city battles.

And Chester has no doubts he will have a big say in how the 223rd derby goes.

"Kevin is a great signing for us," Chester told the Mail.

"We are grateful for Catalan to allow us to re-sign him for another season.

"He always wanted to stay and there was never any doubt.

"The board have been great in putting up a fee for him and we are delighted he's staying for another season.

"Kevin has been very good for us and has been a very consistent performer for us all season.

"He had a bit of a dip four or five weeks ago when he was carrying an injury or two, but we saw the real Kevin against Wigan and he'll play a big part against Hull."

While Larroyer is embracing the derbies for the first time, tonight will be the final derby for some in the red and white shirt.

Josh Hodgson is heading for Australia, Rhys Lovegrove is also moving on while Craig Hall, who was the match-winner at the KC Lightstream Stadium in April, is joining Wakefield next season.

It may also be the final game for those leaving Rovers and Chester hopes tonight will provide a winning swan-song.

"It would be nice to send those players who are leaving out on a winning note," he said.

"They have been great players for this club for a number of years.

"We have to make sure we apply ourselves properly and turn up with the same honesty and commitment we did against Wigan."

A GROUP of film enthusiasts have taken a step closer to fulfilling their dream of opening an independent cinema in Hull.

The Hull Independent Cinema Project (HICP) has been awarded £5,000 to put on a series of film screenings in community venues around the city as part of its plans to bring independent, world and art cinema to new audiences.

The group eventually wants to open a new independent cinema and stage a film festival in the city.

The investment is being provided by Film Hub North, a regional body that works to encourage a wider range of films being shown.

HICP plans to hold the programme of screenings next year.

James Russell, HICP's community outreach co-ordinator, said: "We are thrilled to have been successful in applying for this investment, which will enable us to bring film that doesn't tend to reach mainstream cinema to new communities.

"We know if we are to be successful in our long-term aims we need to attract new audiences and this project will be central to that."

The organisation has already begun a sold-out series of regular screenings at Artlink in Princes Avenue, west Hull, and Kardomah94 in the city centre.

Members also want to identify community venues that could use an HICP event as the basis for their own regular film screenings.

Mr Russell said: "We know that lots of community centres and similar premises sometimes struggle to get enough people through the door.

"Putting on films could be a way for them to attract people but getting hold of the right equipment, licences and copyright can be expensive and complicated.

"We want to work in partnership with these community venues, so they can use our resources to overcome some of these barriers.

"Our goal is to help establish a network of community cinema around the city, all under the HICP banner."

HICP intends to spend the rest of the year identifying potential venues for screenings, which will take place throughout next year.

Visit hullindependentcinemaproject.com for more information.

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They are bombarded by pressures to grow up before their time.

Now, thousands of children at schools in Hull will be given help to cope with the stress and pressures of growing up in the modern world.

A new project, called HeadStart, is helping children aged ten to 14 cope with bullying, body image issues and peer pressure.

Stress caused by exams or even moving from primary school to secondary school will also be tackled.

Hull is one of 12 areas in the UK to pilot the £500,000 project, supported by the Big Lottery Fund, and it will run until December next year in 13 city schools.

It is being run in partnership between Hull City Council, Hull Clinical Commissioning Group, schools, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and voluntary sector organisations, such as Cornerhouse and Child Dynamix.

Tish Lamb, of Cornerhouse, an organisation set up to help young people with sexual health issues and promote wellbeing, said: "Societal pressures are not allowing our young people to be young people any more. We treat them as adults, but they are still children.

"There are all the pressures they face around sexualisation and having to dress in a certain way by a certain age.

"It can cause them stress, leaving them feeling inadequate and like they are not good enough."

A survey has revealed 45 per cent of children aged ten to 14 often cannot sleep because of stress or worry.

Another 59 per cent say they feel worried or sad at least once a week but only about 25 per cent of young people who need treatment for mental health problems receive it, and then only when they are 18.

The project aims to improve emotional health and wellbeing and will provide universal support to all children aged ten to 14 at the schools involved in the project.

The youngsters will be encouraged to talk about their emotions and feelings, so they can work through their problems instead of bottling them up.

Using peer support from other young people, the children can be given additional counselling if they are undergoing particular pressures and there will be support for families to help their children.

Rachel Roberts, assistant city manager for early help and commissioning at Hull City Council, said: "The HeadStart programme will mean that children receive the right support at important stages of their lives.

"Mental and emotional health is incredibly important in children's development and we know from research that mental illness in young people often develops from aged 14.

"We hope that, through early help and intervention for children who are experiencing issues, we can build their emotional resilience and encourage them to talk about their problems before they develop into anything more serious."

There will also be community support for children who need help outside of school.

Structured ten-week programmes will be available to help young people tackle their problems.

The aim is to prevent young people going on to develop mental health issues by providing them with opportunities to talk about their worries and teaching them coping mechanisms to deal with stress.

HeadStart was developed after the views of 1,500 children across the city were taken into account and, if the pilot proves successful, the partnership will be eligible to bid for £10m and the scheme could be rolled out across the city for five years.

The ten primary and three secondary schools taking part include Newland School for Girls in Cottingham Road, west Hull; Christopher Pickering Primary School in Burnham Road, west Hull; and Griffin Primary School in Barham Road, east Hull.

The project will also support a group of young people from Cornerhouse who are developing a digital app to give advice and tips on dealing with cyber-bullying and other emotional health issues.

A YouTube channel will also be developed to improve access to online support, something young people had called for.

The app, developed with funding from HeadStart and police and crime commissioner Matthew Grove, will link to local and national support networks, such as ChildLine and Young Minds.

One young person supported by Cornerhouse, who has been working on developing the app, said: "We wanted to create a place for young people to go for support when they were being bullied or made to feel uncomfortable."

A youngster already involved in some of the programmes said: "Before I joined the group, I didn't know what resilient meant, but now I've been in the group for a while I'm starting to build resilience.

"If I didn't have that I wouldn't be able to do the things I do now."

Lyn Cole, of the Big Lottery Fund, said the project was about catching young people before they fell into the trap of emotional turmoil.

She said: "We know that about three young people in every classroom suffer from a clinically diagnosable mental health disorder and this is a desperately sad situation.

"HeadStart is all about catching our young people before they fall into a trap of mental and emotional turmoil that may affect them all though their lives.

"This funding means children in Hull will play an important role in helping other young people get emotional support at a key stage in their lives."

The HeadStart project is a chance to ensure stresses and worries among young people do not develop into mental health problems in the future.

Julia Mizon, co-chairman of Hull Children's and Families Board, said: "This is a chance to get things right for young people in our city and we will ensure every penny is spent wisely to continue to improve the lives of our next generation."

As director of commissioning and partnerships at Hull Clinical Commissioning Group, Ms Mizon said her organisation's role extended beyond simply providing treatment for young people.

She said: "We want young people in this city to be active, confident, engaged learners, who can face challenges and know how to relate positively to others.

"We know this can't be achieved in isolation, which is why we are committed to working with the city council, schools and voluntary and youth organisations under the HeadStart programme."

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North Ferriby United manager Billy Heath is relieved to have got through the first three weeks of the season unscathed.

With four wins and a draw from their five games played, the return of 13 points from a possible 15 sees the Villagers three points clear at the top of the Conference North.

The start of the season is always a busy schedule and with five matches in 22 days, Heath is delighted to have only dropped two points.

Having picked up a 1-0 win over Harrogate on Monday, it was their third 1-0 of the season, leading to fans stealing Arsenal's song and changing it to '1-0 to the Ferriby'.

And Heath has challenged his players to build on the fantastic start and stay ahead of the rest for as long as they can, starting tomorrow at Worcester.

"The first month of the season is always tough," he told the Mail.

"To be three points clear is credit to the players who did brilliantly to back up the win at Boston last Saturday with a win against Harrogate.

"They were disappointed with dropping two points against Gloucester City and wanted to put things right.

"They did that with two wins over a very difficult Bank Holiday weekend."

Heath was forced to change from a 4-4-2 formation last Saturday because of the late unavailability of Dean Lisles.

But his side have taken to the new formation a lot better than Louis Van Gaal's Manchester United.

"Look at the problems United are having playing the 3-5-2 formation," Heath said.

"We lost our full-back Dean Lisles with a bruised foot at 9.30am on Saturday and had to go with three at the back.

"It was a big gamble as we'd only played 45 minutes in that formation in pre-season. Thankfully, the players adapted well."

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